A female aide in Gov. Andrew Cuomo's office alleges he aggressively groped her last year while alone with him at the Executive Mansion in Albany, according to a new report in the Albany Times Union.
Cuomo's office, in a statement released Wednesday, denied the allegation, but called the details "gut-wrenching."
"As I said yesterday, I have never done anything like this," Cuomo said in a statement. "The details of this report are gut-wrenching. I am not going to speak to the specifics of this or any other allegation given the ongoing review, but I am confident in the result of the Attorney General's report."
The newspaper did not release the woman's name. The Times Union had initially reported Tuesday on the complaint she brought to supervisors earlier this month.
The governor is facing multiple allegations of sexual harassment or inappropriate behavior by six women.
Lindsey Boylan, a former economic development official who is now a candidate for Manhattan borough president, alleges Cuomo gave her an unwanted kiss in his office.
Charlotte Bennett, a former aide, alleges Cuomo asked about her sex life and wondered if she would ever sleep with an older man.
Ana Liss, another former aide, told The Wall Street Journal that the governor kissed her hand and touched her lower back while taking a photo.
Anna Ruch, a guest at a 2019 wedding Cuomo attended, had her head held by the governor who asked to kiss her.
And Karen Hinton, a former aide at the Department of Housing and Urban Development who later went to work for Cuomo rival Mayor Bill de Blasio, alleges the governor held her in a long embrace in a hotel room that made her feel uncomfortable.
Cuomo has insisted he never touched anyone "inappropriately," though he has acknowledged he has attempted to make jokes while in office, and has apologized to anyone who may have been offended.
Debra Katz, an attorney for Bennett, called the details of her client's case and the latest allegations "eerily similar." Both women say Cuomo asked them questions about operating his mobile phone.
"That the governor does not deny touching people, but insists he never did it inappropriately, shows he is committed to gaslighting victims and perpetuating these lies," Katz said. "This is exactly how abusers operate.”
There have been bipartisan calls for Cuomo to resign, including from State Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins. Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie has said Cuomo should consider whether he can remain in office amid the allegations.
But Cuomo and his allies have said Attorney General Letitia James should be given time to conduct an investigation into the claims. James this week appointed former federal prosecutor Joon Kim and employment discrimination attorney Anne Clark to co-lead the investigation.