To the surprise of many, embattled Governor Andrew Cuomo resigned Tuesday afternoon in the wake of a bombshell report by Attorney General Letitia James revealing he sexually harassed 11 women. Tuesday’s news came as a bombshell to many New Yorkers convinced the governor would try to finish out his third term.
Here is a quick rundown of the events that lead up to Cuomo’s resignation on Aug. 10, 2021.
Dec. 13, 2020—Former Cuomo aide and then candidate for Manhattan borough president Lindsey Boylan reveals governor sexually harassed her. Boylan tweeted late last year that her former boss sexually harassed for years over her appearance in a thread about workplace harassment. Boylan did not go into further detail and stated that she had “no interest in talking to journalists” about the alleged harassment. A spokesperson for Cuomo denied the claim.
Feb. 24, 2021—Former Cuomo staffer Lindsey Boylan publishes a Medium post accusing the governor of kissing her in his office in 2018. Over two months after tweeting about the Cuomo administration’s toxic work environment, Boylan took to the web again and in a lengthy Medium post accused the governor of kissing her in his Manhattan office.
Feb 27, 2021—Second Accuser Comes Forward. Charlotte Bennett, a 25-year-old former executive assistant to the governor, became the second woman to go public with her story of experiencing sexual harassment at the hands of Cuomo. The most disturbing of Bennets’ claims, took place in the Governor’s Office at the state Capitol in Albany on June 5, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in New York. Bennett alleged that while alone with the governor he asked her multiple questions about her dating life, told her he was lonely, wanted a girlfriend and then asked her if she had ever dated older men.
Feb 28, 2021—Attorney General Letitia James Launches Investigation into Governor’s Alleged Misconduct. Amid increasing calls for an investigation into the governor’s alleged wrongdoing, Attorney General Letitia James announced she would oversee an investigation into the governor. The Cuomo administration said they would comply with an independent investigation and asked James as well as Janet DiFiore, chief judge of New York’s highest court, to appoint an independent lawyer to conduct the probe.
March 11, 2021—As new allegations increase, Cuomo says he will not resign, tells New Yorkers to “wait for the facts.” The number of women claiming they were sexually harassed by the governor continued to go up after Bennett went public with her story. In early March, the Albany Times Union reported that a sixth woman alleged that the governor had been sexually inappropriate with her, stating Cuomo groped her at the Governor’s Mansion. In response, Governor Cuomo denied the claim during a press conference and said he was unaware that he had ever made anyone feel uncomfortable.
July 26, 2021—Governor Cuomo calls Neutrality of AG Probe into Question. About five months after James launched her investigation into the governor’s alleged sexual harassment, Cuomo said he had concerns about the independence of the reviewers taking part in James’ investigation but ultimately believed the probe findings would exonerate him.
Aug. 3, 2021—Attorney General James reveals damning result of the investigation, report finds Cuomo sexually harassed 11 women. Less than five months after the probe began, James’ office released a 168-page report detailing 11 accounts of sexual harassment by the governor. Calls for the governor’s resignation, even by President Joe Biden, began almost immediately after the attorney general spoke about the investigation’s findings.
