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New York (AP) - After new allegations of sexual harassment against New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, his office has announced an independent investigation.
New York Attorney General Letitia James and Chief Justice of the State Court of Appeals, Janet DiFiore, have been asked to appoint a politically independent lawyer to lead the investigation, Cuomo adviser Beth Garvey said on Sunday.
This lawyer should publish a report after a thorough review.
"All employees of the governor's office will cooperate fully."
Cuomo came under further pressure after new allegations of sexual harassment became known.
A former health advisor in Cuomo's government accused the now 63-year-old of harassing her during the height of the Corona crisis last spring.
"I understood that the governor wanted to sleep with me, and felt terribly uncomfortable and was afraid," said 25-year-old ex-employee Charlotte Bennett of the New York Times (Saturday).
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Democrat Cuomo told the newspaper that he had never intended to behave inappropriately towards Bennett and that he had ordered an independent investigation into the matter.
White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki called the allegations "serious."
She told CNN on Sunday that the Democratic US President Joe Biden supported a quick independent investigation.
A few days ago, a former economic adviser accused the governor of sexually harassing her.
Lindsey Boylan (36) accused Cuomo, among other things, of kissing her on the lips without asking in his Manhattan office in 2018.
Bennett and Boylan have left their jobs in the Cuomo government.
Boylan wrote on the online platform Medium: "Governor Andrew Cuomo has created a culture within his administration in which sexual harassment and harassment are so ubiquitous that it is not only tolerated but expected."
Cuomo silenced his critics through intimidation.
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Cuomo has been a beacon of hope for many Americans since the beginning of the corona pandemic in New York almost a year ago.
The democrat promised to align his policy with scientific necessities.
He presented himself as an alternative to the then Republican US President Donald Trump.
In fact, Cuomo's crisis management has earned him a lot of praise, including from top US immunologist Anthony Fauci.
It made sure to get the situation in New York reasonably under control after an explosion of the Corona cases in spring 2020.
Cuomo recently came under pressure because of high death rates in nursing homes.
The background to this is that the number of deaths in homes in New York has recently been revised upwards sharply - from 8500 to more than 15,000.
Several media outlets - including the New York Times - reported that state representatives suspect that Cuomo is concealing the dimensions.
As a consequence, they planned to want to restrict his powers to directly issue emergency measures.
It was also revealed that the federal FBI and investigators in New York State were investigating government policies regarding nursing homes.
According to a survey, the approval ratings for Cuomo have fallen significantly.
The Marist Institute announced a few days ago that 49 percent of New Yorkers said the governor did a good job - last July it was 66 percent.
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© dpa-infocom, dpa: 210228-99-631842 / 2
NYT articles on nursing homes
NYT article on Bennett's allegations
Medium contribution by Boylan
Message from Garvey