A former executive assistant who filed a criminal complaint against New York governor Andrew Cuomo last week for allegedly groping her has said he “needs to be held accountable”.
Brittany Commisso is one of 11 women Cuomo is accused of sexually harassing, according to a devastating investigative report released by the state attorney general’s office last week.
The former aide identified herself publicly in an interview with CBS which is set to be broadcast in full on Monday morning.
“What he did to me was a crime. He broke the law,” Commisso said in an excerpt released ahead of its broadcast. Coming forward, she said, was “the right thing to do. The governor needs to be held accountable.”
Commisso, identified only as “executive assistant #1” in the report, told state investigators that Cuomo fondled her breast on one occasion. She also said he rubbed her backside while taking a photo. She has said the alleged incident took place at the governor’s mansion in Albany.
Albany county sheriff Craig Apple told reporters on Saturday that Cuomo could face a possible misdemeanor charge. Apple said the investigation is in its “infant stages” and the complaint made against Cuomo is “criminal in nature” and the alleged conduct was “sexual in nature”.
When asked what possible charge the governor could face, the sheriff said: “From what I’ve read so far I can say we’re floating around a misdemeanor, but again, that’s just from the attorney general report.”
Cuomo, facing impeachment and removal from office by state lawmakers, has denied the allegations and resisted widespread calls for his resignation, including from fellow Democrats, including Joe Biden.
His lawyer, Rita Glavin, has described Commisso’s account as fabricated, citing emails and other documentary evidence she said undermines her story. “There has been no open minded fact-finding … the investigators acted as prosecutors, judge and jury,” Glavin said.
