Executive assistant who accused Gov. Andrew Cuomo of groping speaks publicly

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

• An executive assistant to New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, says “The governor needs to be held accountable.”
• Brittany Commisso has spoken publicly for the first time since filing a criminal complaint against the Democratic governor.
• Cuomo, who has denied sexually harassing any woman, is facing impeachment and possible arrest.

An executive assistant for New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo who told investigators that he groped her breast and rear end has spoken publicly for the first time since filing a criminal complaint against the governor.

Brittany Commisso, during an interview with “CBS This Morning” and the Albany Times Union, said she filed the complaint against Cuomo because “it was the right thing to do,” according to a clip of the interview, which will air Monday morning.

“The governor needs to be held accountable,” Commisso said. “What he did to me was a crime. He broke the law.”

Commisso is identified as “Executive Assistant #1” in a report released last week by state Attorney General Letitia James on Cuomo’s alleged sexual harassment of nearly a dozen women.

Commisso told investigators retained by James that the governor grabbed and then rubbed her rear end during a selfie photo taken at the Executive Mansion in Albany. Commisso also claimed that Cuomo reached under her blouse and grabbed her breast while he gave her a hug, according to the report.

The governor is facing an expected impeachment and could be arrested if authorities determine there is probable cause to believe her complaint.

Cuomo has denied sexually harassing any woman. “I never touched anyone inappropriately or made inappropriate sexual advances,” the governor said on Tuesday.

Rita Glavin, an attorney for the governor, has disputed the timeline given by Commisso and claimed there is evidence not included in the report that undermines the credibility of her story.

“This woman’s story as stated in the report is false,” Glavin said on Friday.

The 165-page report, which comprises interviews with 179 witnesses and a review of tens of thousands of documents, outlines Cuomo’s alleged sexual harassment of nearly a dozen women who work or had worked for the state and elsewhere.

The report says the governor engaged in nonconsensual touching, groping, kissing and hugging, as well as made inappropriate remarks to women. It also says the governor retaliated against a former employee who complained publicly about his conduct.

Source: CNBC