NY's Cuomo launched 'taxpayer-funded attack' on accusers: NYC mayor
De Blasio said he was 'distressed' by some of his experiences working under Cuomo years ago
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio accused New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo's office of launching a "systematic taxpayer-funded attack campaign" against former Cuomo aide Lindsey Boylan after she first came forward with accusations of sexual harassment in late 2020.
De Blasio said he was "distressed" by some of his experiences working under Cuomo years ago.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"But I'll tell you what I’m seeing now, it's a worse version, a much worse version than what I used to see. To see that after Lindsey Boylan came out with her experience, telling her truth, that the Cuomo team mounted an attack campaign against her," de Blasio said at a press conference on Thursday.
"I want to remind everyone, a systematic taxpayer-funded attack campaign against a woman who came forward to talk about the sexual harassment that she experienced by a public official," he continued. "This is really cynical when a public official uses our money and his staff to attack someone that's a whistleblower."
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo speaks to the media at the Javits Convention Center which is being turned into a hospital to help fight coronavirus cases on March 24, 2020 in New York City. (Photo by Eduardo Munoz Alvarez/Getty Images)
Cuomo was reportedly involved in writing a letter that his inner circle passed around to former staffers aimed at tarnishing Boylan's credibility after she accused the governor of sexual harassment and repeated unwanted advances, according to a new report.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The letter, according to The New York Times, suggested that Boylan’s accusations were "premeditated" and "politically motivated." It reportedly revealed personnel complaints filed against her and attempted to link Boylan, a progressive, to supporters of former President Donald Trump.
Boylan singled out Cuomo senior adviser Rich Azzopardi as a "liar and a fraud" in a tweet earlier this month. Azzopardi reportedly called another Cuomo accuser, Ana Liss, after Boylan came forward and made her feel "intimidated" and "bewildered," 1010 WINS reported.
De Blasio worked under Cuomo at the Department of Housing and Urban Development starting in 1997. A reporter asked him about that experience, as well as his interactions with another Cuomo accuser, Karen Hinton, during the press conference.
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"A long time ago, obviously, at HUD. So I don't think it's applicable," de Blasio said. "Karen and I talked many times about it, but I want to respect those private conversations. I think we both, I won't speak for her, but I think we both came away very distressed with things we saw happening over the years."
Boylan was the first of seven women to publicly bring forward claims of sexual misconduct against Cuomo. She alleged that the governor attempted to kiss her in his office, which he has denied.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}FOX Business' Brittany De Lea and Fox News' Morgan Phillips and Ronn Blitzer contributed to this report.