Mar 1, 2021 - Politics & Policy

Rep. Rice demands Cuomo resign after 3rd woman accuses him of misconduct

Rebecca Falconer

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo speaks during a news conference at a vaccination site in the Brooklyn borough of New York, on February 22 — New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo during a February news conference in New York City. Photo: Seth Wenig/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

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."

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Rep. Rice demands Cuomo resign after 3rd woman accuses him of misconduct

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