Rep. Kathleen Rice (D-N.Y.) on Monday evening called for New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) to resign, after a third woman accused him of inappropriate behavior.
Driving the news: Anna Ruch, a former member of the Obama administration and the 2020 Biden campaign, told the New York Times Monday that Cuomo asked to kiss her at a New York City wedding reception in September 2019.
- Ruch alleged Cuomo put his hand on her bare lower back, called her "aggressive" for removing it and then asked "can I kiss you?" She told the Times she was "confused and shocked and embarrassed" by the alleged incident.
- "A friend captured the exchange in a series of photographs taken on Ms. Ruch’s cellphone," the Times noted.
- Earlier Monday, N.Y. Attorney General Letitia James received a formal referral letter from Cuomo's office to begin an investigation into sexual harassment allegations made against him by two of his former aides — claims the governor denies.
What they're saying: Rice shared the NYT's interview with Ruch on Twitter, with the comment: "The time has come. The Governor must resign."
- Cuomo's office didn't immediately respond to Axios' request for comment on the Ruch's allegation.
- The governor said before the third allegation emerged that he "never inappropriately touched anybody," but he acknowledged that "some of the things I have said have been misinterpreted as an unwanted flirtation."
