Cuomo defiant with media during first 'open' press conference in months

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New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, D., held an open press event for the first time since December on Monday, but his team reportedly did not give the press much of a heads up that the event was to be held in Syracuse, causing reporters to congratulate one another for making it on time.

For those who did arrive, they found the governor stonewalling on both his sexual harassment allegations and reports that he illegally used his office while writing his book about the pandemic, entitled "American Crisis: Leadership Lessons from the Covid-19 Pandemic."

Until Monday, he had mostly held press conferences on Zoom where he took only a few questions.

Despite their "incisive" questions, as the Democrat & Chronicle described it, Cuomo didn't appear in the mood to answer.

Jesse McKinley, the Albany bureau chief for the New York Times, asked Cuomo if he could tell New Yorkers whether or not he sexually harassed aides who have accused him of sexual misconduct. He said, "no," which prompted McKinley to ask a follow-up about state Attorney General Letitia James' investigation. 

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"The report can't say anything different because I didn't do anything wrong," Cuomo said.

Attorney Debra Katz, who is representing Charlotte Bennett, a former Cuomo aide who accused the governor of inappropriate behavior, put out a response on Monday.

"Today, Gov. Andrew Cuomo conducted a press conference in which he continued his effort to actively undermine the Attorney General’s independent investigation into his sexual harassment of my client, Charlotte Bennett, and numerous other women," Katz said. "Cuomo’s efforts to undermine this investigation are part of a broader effort to evade accountability for his actions, and members of the NY State Assembly must be prepared to accept the Attorney General’s findings when the appointed investigators conclude their work and include them as part of their impeachment proceedings." 

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Former Cuomo aide Lindsey Boylan, who became the first woman to accuse Cuomo of sexual harassment, said he was lying.

Cuomo was also defiant about his book deal.

Recent reports revealed Cuomo may have violated state law by having aides Melissa DeRosa and Stephanie Benton help him with drafts of the book. When pressed about the reports at Monday's presser, Cuomo was adamant that the staffers had volunteered to help.

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Cuomo is currently facing multiple investigations. In addition to the sexual harrassment and book scandals, investigators are also looking into his decision to move recovering COVID patients back into nursing homes last March. Critics argue that that decision likely cost thousands of lives. The Cuomo administration admitted to withholding the true number of fatalities for fear of a Department of Justice investigation.