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Women who accused Gov. Cuomo of sexual harassment speak out after resignation

Lindsey Boylan tweeted, "From the beginning, I simply asked that the Governor stop his abusive behavior."
Lindsey Boylan, a former state economic development adviser for Gov. Andrew Cuomo, speaks at a rally calling for his impeachment at Washington Square Park in New York, on March 20, 2021.
Lindsey Boylan, a former state economic development adviser for Gov. Andrew Cuomo, speaks at a rally calling for his impeachment at Washington Square Park in New York on March 20.Eduardo Munoz Alvarez / AP file

In the wake of New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo's resignation, several of the women who accused him of sexual misconduct are speaking out.

Lindsey Boylan — whose February account of alleged sexual harassment by Cuomo ignited new calls for the governor to resign — tweeted, "From the beginning, I simply asked that the Governor stop his abusive behavior."

"It became abundantly clear he was unable to do that, instead attacking and blaming victims until the end. It is a tragedy that so many stood by and watched these abuses happen," Boylan wrote.

"I am thankful for the Attorney General, the investigators and all those who have pursued the truth despite intimidation and threats of retaliation," she wrote.

"Most importantly, I am in awe of the strength of the other women who risked everything to come forward," she said. "My hope always has been that this will make it safer for other women to report their own harassment and abuse. I will continue the fight to make that happen."

Attorney Debra S. Katz, who represents Cuomo accuser Charlotte Bennett, said Tuesday was "a solemn day."

"One week after the Attorney General released a detailed report substantiating 11 women’s allegations of sexual harassment and sexual assault against Governor Cuomo, he had no choice but to resign," she said in a statement.

Katz said Bennett spoke out because she "was not willing to sit idly by while the Governor smeared Lindsey in the press."

Speaking on MSNBC on Tuesday, Karen Hinton — a former Cuomo aide who said the governor invited her to his hotel room in 2000 and embraced her, pulling her back to him when she pulled away — praised the governor's progressive accomplishments on issues such as marriage equality, minimum wage and family leave but said his behavior has been very "Nixon-like" and that his "own flaws" brought him down.

"He understood what the sexual harassment law is in New York; he signed the law!" Hinton said.

A Cuomo spokesperson denied Hinton’s allegations when reported by the Washington Post in March.

Mariann Wang, attorney for Alyssa McGrath and Virginia Limmiatis, said her clients "feel both vindicated and relieved that Cuomo will no longer be in a position of power over anyone."

"His efforts, through his paid attorney, over the last few days, to gaslight and attack the brave women who came forward, apparently served no purpose," Wang said. "Ms. McGrath and Ms. Limmiatis remain grateful that their voices and experiences were heard and substantiated by the AG’s investigators, and feel solidarity with all women who continue to be abused by men in power. At least today, one of them has faced some consequences."

Cuomo has denied harassing women and said he was sorry for how his behavior made them feel.

In his resignation Tuesday, Cuomo said Attorney General Letitia James “did a report on complaints made against me by certain women for my conduct. The report said I sexually harassed 11 women. That was the headline people heard, and saw, and reacted to. The reaction was outrage, it should have been. However, it was also false.”

Cuomo said his lawyers "have reviewed the report over the last several days and have already raised serious issues and flaws that should concern all New Yorkers. Because when there is a bias or a lack of fairness in the justice system, it is a concern for everyone, not just those immediately affected."

CORRECTION (Aug. 10, 2021, 9:30 p.m. ET): A previous version of this article misspelled the first name of the attorney representing Charlotte Bennett. She is Debra S. Katz, not Debrah.