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“He is a sexist pig and you should avoid being alone with him!” Boylan’s mother texted her at one point about Cuomo, according to photos of the exchange.
Boylan’s account Wednesday came as Cuomo and his administration are already embroiled in scandal, and under new fire from both Republicans and Democrats for withholding data on coronavirus deaths in the state’s nursing homes. The blowback has increasingly focused on Cuomo himself. The third-term governor, who drew accolades and wide recognition early on for his pandemic response, is besieged with accusations of behind-the-scenes bullying.
One of the governor’s critics on nursing homes, a Democratic state legislator, said last week that Cuomo threatened to “destroy” him during an angry phone call. Another ex-Cuomo staffer described a toxic work environment for women in an opinion piece published Wednesday by the New York Daily News. A chorus of critics in Cuomo’s political orbit — including Boylan — recently told the New York Times about fears of Cuomo’s wrath and threats of retaliation.
Boylan, in her post Wednesday, said Cuomo’s treatment of her was part of a deep-rooted, workplace-wide problem, leading some New York lawmakers to call for an investigation. The Democratic leader of the state Senate said the ex-aide’s claims were “deeply disturbing.”
Today I am telling my story. I never planned to share the details of my experience working in the Cuomo administration, but I am doing so now in hopes that it may make it easier for others to speak their own truth. https://t.co/n1Lcc6Ac66
— Lindsey Boylan (@LindseyBoylan) February 24, 2021
Cuomo “has created a culture within his administration where sexual harassment and bullying is so pervasive that it is not only condoned but expected,” Boylan wrote in her post on Medium. “His inappropriate behavior toward women was an affirmation that he liked you, that you must be doing something right. He used intimidation to silence his critics. And if you dared to speak up, you would face consequences.”
In late 2020, Boylan publicly accused Cuomo of sexually harassing her for years, declining at the time to share details and drawing denials from the governor.
“Look, I fought for and I believe a woman has the right to come forward and express her opinion and express issues and concerns that she has,” Cuomo said at a news conference last year. “But it’s just not true.”
