Charlotte Bennett, former aide to Democratic New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, accused the state leader of trying to sleep with her.
CBS News aired a Thursday evening preview of Bennett’s interview with Norah O’Donnell, scheduled to broadcast in full on Friday. Bennet said several times she believed the governor had been propositioning her for sex. (RELATED: ‘Put A Fork In Him’: Meghan McCain Is ‘Over Cuomo’ — Sunny Hostin Tries To Make It About Donald Trump)
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Bennett, 25, said Cuomo had begun by asking her a series of personal questions which made her “deeply uncomfortable” — questions that delved into her past as a survivor of sexual assault and rape and pressed her openness to a relationship with an older man.
The questions began in the spring of 2020, as the height of the coronavirus pandemic was taking its toll on New York. Bennett told O’Donnell she believed the popularity Cuomo gained through his near-daily press conferences gave him the sense that he was “untouchable.”
Bennett detailed one instance when she said Cuomo directed her to stop recording their meeting. Cuomo proceeded to tell her he was lonely and looking for a girlfriend. He then allegedly told her he was open to a relationship with a woman as young as 22.
“Without explicitly saying it, he implied to me that I was old enough for him and he was lonely,” Bennett said, adding, “I thought, he’s trying to sleep with me. The governor is trying to sleep with me. And I’m deeply uncomfortable and I have to get out of this room as soon as possible.”
Cuomo addressed Bennett’s accusations — along with those of two other women — during a Wednesday press conference.
“I now understand that I acted in a way that made people feel uncomfortable,” Cuomo said. “It was unintentional and I truly and deeply apologize for it. I feel awful about it, and frankly, I am embarrassed by it, and that’s not easy to say but that’s the truth.”
“Governor Cuomo said in a statement that what he said may have quote, ‘been misinterpreted,'” O’Donnell said, asking Bennett, “Did you misinterpret him?”
“No. I understood him loud and clear,” Bennett replied. “It just did not go the way he planned.”
“Did you watch the governor’s apology?” O’Donnell pressed.
“I did. It was not an apology,” Bennett said. “The fact is that he was sexually harassing me and he is not apologizing for sexually harassing me and he can’t even use my name.”