"Called to Hotel Room and Embraced"...Cuomo's 5th Sexual Harassment Allegation Revealed

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Ji-hwan Park] A fifth 'Me too' accuser has come forward, alleging sexual harassment by New York Governor Andrew Cuomo.

The Washington Post (WP) reported on the 7th (local time) that after interviewing current and former aides of Governor Cuomo, he has created a hostile and toxic work environment over the past several decades.

A woman named Karen Hinton, who was a former press aide to Governor Cuomo, revealed in an interview with WP that she felt sexually humiliated by Cuomo in December 2000 when he was the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development.

Hinton claimed that after a work event in Los Angeles (LA), Governor Cuomo called her over and forcibly hugged her.

She testified that Cuomo, sitting on a sofa, began asking personal questions unrelated to work, such as how her married life was and whether she got along well with her husband. When she said, "I have to go," Cuomo approached and hugged her.

Hinton said, "It was a long and strong hug. It was not a simple hug." She pushed Cuomo away, but he pulled her back again, so she pushed him off once more and left the hotel room.

Previously, four other women had also publicly accused Cuomo of sexual harassment: Anna Riss, who was an economic development program staffer for Governor Cuomo in 2013; former secretary Charlotte Bennett; former aide Lindsey Boylan; and a private citizen named Anna Luch.

On the same day, Anna Riss also revealed her sexual harassment experience in an interview with The Wall Street Journal (WSJ). Riss said that in May 2014, at a reception held at the governor's residence, Cuomo kissed her on both cheeks, wrapped his hands around her back, and grabbed her waist.