NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) — Gov. Andrew Cuomo is currently the subject of multiple investigations and calls to resign over nursing home deaths during the coronavirus pandemic and allegations of sexual and workplace harassment.
Here is a timeline of the claims against the governor and his administration:
(Photo by Mike Coppola/Getty Images for Women’s Forum of New York)
Dec. 13, 2020 — Former aide Lindsey Boylan accuses Gov. Cuomo of sexual harassment in a series of tweets. Boylan, who is running for Manhattan borough president, wrote the governor “sexually harassed me for years,” adding “I know I’m not the only one.”
Yes, @NYGovCuomo sexually harassed me for years. Many saw it, and watched.
I could never anticipate what to expect: would I be grilled on my work (which was very good) or harassed about my looks. Or would it be both in the same conversation? This was the way for years.
— Lindsey Boylan (@LindseyBoylan) December 13, 2020
Dec. 14 — The governor addresses Boylan’s tweets during a press briefing, telling reporters they “were simply not true.”
Watch: Gov. Cuomo Addresses Former Aide’s Sexual Harassment Allegations
Jan. 28, 2021 — New York Attorney General Letitia James releases a damning report accusing the New York State Health Department of undercounting nursing home deaths by as much as 50%.
Jan. 29 — Cuomo and health officials respond, saying they separated nursing home deaths from nursing home residents who died at hospitals because of concerns about double counting, but insist the total number of deaths was always accurate.
(Photo by David Dee Delgado/Getty Images)
Feb. 12 — Secretary to the Governor Melissa DeRosa comes under fire after telling Democratic lawmakers the administration delayed responding to a request for nursing home data in August because they feared it would be “used against us” by then-President Donald Trump.
New York State Assembly Member Ron Kim was on the call and spoke out about DeRosa’s comments, saying “you can’t hide information because you think you could be politically hurt in the process.”
Feb. 15 — The governor holds a press conference, taking responsibility for the “void” of information on nursing home deaths but insisting there was no cover-up.
Watch: Gov. Cuomo Addresses Nursing Home Allegations
Feb. 17 — Cuomo attacks Kim, alleging he “acted unethically, if not illegally” and took political donations from nail salons while working on legislation that was supposed to crack down on salon abuses.
“The governor can smear me all he wants in an effort to distract us from his fatally incompetent management. But these facts are not going away,” Kim responded.
(Photo by Erik McGregor/LightRocket via Getty Images)
Feb. 18 — Kim comes forward with allegations that Cuomo “berated” and threatened him to keep quiet.
A top Cuomo aide accuses Kim of lying, saying it’s “part of a years-long pattern of lies.”
(Credit: CBS2)
Feb. 24 — Former Cuomo staffer Karen Hinton brings forward allegations of bullying against the governor.
“He made me feel as if I were no good at my job and thus totally dependent on him to keep it,” Hinton said. “Working for him is like a 1950s version of marriage. He always, always, always comes first. Everyone and everything else — your actual spouse, your children, your own career goals — is secondary. Your focus 24 hours a day is on him.”
Boylan shares more details about her sexual harassment claims, saying Cuomo once said, “Let’s play strip poker,” on a flight in 2017 and kissed her on the lips at his New York City offices in 2018.
The governor’s team once again disputed her story, releasing flight manifests and statements from other aides who said the conversation “did not happen.”
(Credit: CBS Evening News)
Feb. 27 — Former aide Charlotte Bennett comes forward with another sexual harassment claim against the governor. She alleges to the The New York Times he asked her “numerous questions about her personal life, including whether she thought age made a difference in romantic relationships, and had said that he was open to relationships with women in their 20s.”
Feb. 28 — Cuomo agrees to Attorney General James’ demand for the power to appoint an independent investigator to look into the allegations.
He also releases a lengthy statement addressing the mounting claims:
“Questions have been raised about some of my past interactions with people in the office.
“I never intended to offend anyone or cause any harm. I spend most of my life at work and colleagues are often also personal friends.
“At work sometimes I think I am being playful and make jokes that I think are funny. I do, on occasion, tease people in what I think is a good natured way. I do it in public and in private. You have seen me do it at briefings hundreds of times. I have teased people about their personal lives, their relationships, about getting married or not getting married. I mean no offense and only attempt to add some levity and banter to what is a very serious business.
“I now understand that my interactions may have been insensitive or too personal and that some of my comments, given my position, made others feel in ways I never intended. I acknowledge some of the things I have said have been misinterpreted as an unwanted flirtation. To the extent anyone felt that way, I am truly sorry about that.
“To be clear I never inappropriately touched anybody and I never propositioned anybody and I never intended to make anyone feel uncomfortable, but these are allegations that New Yorkers deserve answers to.
“That‘s why I have asked for an outside, independent review that looks at these allegations.
“Separately, my office has heard anecdotally that some people have reached out to Ms. Bennett to express displeasure about her coming forward. My message to anyone doing that is you have misjudged what matters to me and my administration and you should stop now – period.”
(Credit: @Anna Ruch/Twitter)
March 1 — Anna Ruch shares another sexual harassment allegation from a 2019 wedding. She told The New York Times the governor touched her bare lower back, and she moved his hand away. She said he then placed his hands on her faced and asked to kiss her. She said she pulled away, but not before he kissed her cheek.
March 3 — Amid growing pressure to resign, Cuomo publicly apologizes for making “people feel uncomfortable,” but insists he “never touched anyone inappropriately.” He asks the public to be patient with the investigation and says he will not step down.
Watch: Gov. Cuomo Apologizes, Says He Will Not Step Down
March 4 — In exclusive interview, Bennett tells CBS Evening News Anchor Norah O’Donnell she believes the governor was propositioning her for sex and even asked her about being a sexual assault survivor.
March 5 — The New York State Legislature votes to strip Cuomo of his emergency powers.
(Credit: WROC)
March 6 — Former aide Ana Liss accuses the governor of inappropriate behavior, later describing a “toxic” work environment.
“I’m not claiming sexual harassment, per se. I’m just saying that it wasn’t a safe space for young women to work, or for women in general,” she told The Wall Street Journal.
March 9 — The Albany Times Union reports another sexual harassment allegation from an unnamed former aide. She claims the governor called her to the executive mansion under the pretense of helping him with a cellphone and then “reached under her blouse and began to fondle her.”
Cuomo denies the report, saying, “I have never done anything like this,” and calls the details “gut-wrenching.”
March 11 — The governor’s lawyer refers the latest allegation to Albany Police, saying it’s state policy since the woman did not want to file charges.
March 12 — Several members of New York’s Congressional delegation join the calls for Cuomo to resign. He says their demands to resign without an outside investigation are “reckless and dangerous.”
Watch: Gov. Cuomo Says Calls For His Resignation Are ‘Reckless And Dangerous’
March 13 — Queens Borough President Donovan Richards and Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer release a joint statement condemning the governor’s alleged behavior and saying he should resign.
March 14 — Cuomo’s longtime adviser and COVID vaccine czar Larry Schwartz comes under fire after reportedly calling Democratic county executives to gauge their support for the governor.
March 15 — Bennett spends four hours meeting with investigators.
March 16 — State Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins tells CBS2’s Political Reporter Marcia Kramer she thinks an impeachment trial would result in a conviction.
March 17 — Cuomo gets vaccinated at a Harlem church, as controversy erupts over the law firm chosen to conduct the Assembly’s investigation.
March 18 — Liss speaks with investigators, as Bennett’s lawyer accuses the governor’s team of witness tampering.
March 19 — An eighth accuser comes forward. The New York Times reports that current Cuomo aide Alyssa McGrath accused the governor of ogling her body, remarking on her looks and making suggestive comments to her and another woman in his office.
March 20 — Boylan speaks out publicly for the first time during a rally calling for Cuomo’s impeachment.
March 21 — Bennett’s lawyer, Debra Katz, discusses allegations of witness tampering in an exclusive interview with CBS2’s Political Reporter Marcia Kramer.
March 24 — New reports allege the governor prioritized COVID testing for his family and close connections when tests were hard to come by early in the pandemic.
March 25 — Grieving families gather to mark one year since the Cuomo ordered nursing homes to accept coronavirus patients released from the hospital.
March 29 — Sherry Vill, 55, comes forward claiming the governor kissed her without her consent in front of her family’s home in May 2017.
April 7 — The unnamed former aide who accused Cuomo of groping her at the executive mansion shares more details of her allegations with the Albany Times Union.
April 19 — New York Comptroller Tom DiNapoli asks the attorney general to launch a potential criminal investigation into whether the governor used state resources to write and promote his book on leadership in the COVID pandemic.
May 17 — Cuomo’s office releases his 2020 tax returns, which show he stands to earn $5 million from the controversial memoir.
(credit: CBS2)
May 20 — The governor’s brother, CNN anchor Chris Cuomo, apologizes after a Washington Post report claimed he participated in calls about how to handle the scandal and encouraged his brother not to resign.
July 17 — Cuomo faces questioning from outside lawyers hired by the state attorney general’s office. The interview reportedly lasted 11 hours.
August 3 — New York Attorney General Letitia James announces the investigation found the governor sexually harassed 11 women.
WATCH: N.Y. Attorney General James’ Press Conference
“The independent investigation has concluded Gov. Andrew Cuomo sexually harassed multiple women, and in doing so violated federal and state law,” James said. “Specifically, the investigation found that Gov. Andrew Cuomo sexually harassed current and former New York State employees by engaging in unwelcome and non-consensual touching and making numerous offensive comments of a suggestive and sexual nature that created a hostile work environment for women.”
WATCH: N.Y. Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s Press Conference
Cuomo responds, insisting he “never touched anyone inappropriately or made inappropriate sexual advances.” Meanwhile, calls mount for him to resign or be removed from office.
August 5 — New York Assembly Judiciary Committee gives the governor one week to submit his defense, as lawmakers look to wrap up their impeachment investigation.
That same day, the woman identified as “Executive Assistant No. 1” in the attorney general’s report files a criminal complaint with the Albany County sheriff’s office. Brittany Commisso told investigators Cuomo groped her while she worked for him at the executive mansion in December 2019 and then again in November 2020.
August 8 — The governor’s top aide, Melissa DeRosa, suddenly resigns.
August 9 — Commisso shares her story in an exclusive interview with CBS This Morning’s Jericka Duncan.
WATCH: Cuomo Accuser Brittany Commisso Speaks Out In Exclusive Interview
Meanwhile, the Assembly Judiciary Committee begins considering articles of impeachment against the governor.
August 10 — Gov. Andrew Cuomo announces his resignation, says it will take effect in 14 days.
WATCH: Gov. Andrew Cuomo Announces His Resignation
“My instinct is to fight through this controversy, because I believe it is politically motivated,” Cuomo said. “This situation, by its current trajectory, will generate months of political and legal controversy…. It will consume government, it will cost taxpayers millions of dollars, it will brutalize people… And I cannot be the cause of that.
“New York tough means New York loving, and I love New York, and I love you. And everything I have ever done has been motivated by that love, and I would never want to be unhelpful in any way,” he added. “I think that given the circumstances, the best way I can help now is if I step aside and let government get back to governing.”
August 13 — The New York State Assembly says it will abruptly suspend its impeachment investigation, saying the state “constitution does not authorize the legislature to impeach and remove an elected official who is no longer in office.”
August 17 — The governor files retirement papers and grants clemency to 10 people.
August 23 — Cuomo delivers pre-taped address on his final day in office.
WATCH: Gov. Andrew Cuomo Delivers Farewell Address To New Yorkers
“We didn’t get everything done that we wanted to, or even everything we should have done, and we didn’t always get it quite right… I tried my best to deliver for you,” he told New Yorkers.
August 24 — Kathy Hochul sworn in as New York’s 57th governor, first woman to hold the office.
WATCH: Kathy Hochul Sworn In As New York’s New Governor
August 25 — Hochul acknowledges nearly 12,000 more COVID-related deaths than previously reported by the Cuomo administration.
August 31 — Subpoenas are reportedly issued in the investigation into Commisso’s groping claim.
October 28 – Forcible touching charge is filed against Cuomo with the Albany County sheriff’s office.
WATCH: Albany County Sheriff Update On Charge Against Cuomo
October 29 — Albany County Sheriff Craig Apple says the summons was publicly released “much” sooner than expected, but the case is solid.
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