By Dan Murphy
Even as the moving trucks load up former Governor Andrew Cuomo’s belongings and move them to the mansion of his brother in law, Kenneth Cole, Cuomo’s attorney, Rita Glavin continues to attack the credibility of NY Attorney General Letitia James report, which confirmed the allegations of sexual harassment made by 11 women against Cuomo.
Glavin singled out Westchester native Charlotte Bennett in her latest assault against the victims, and took to the media to account that she is submitting letters to both AG James and the NY Assembly claiming that corrections need to be made to the sexual harassment report.
Glavin said that the new evidence “relates to her (Bennett) credibility. I won’t get into what the information is out of respect for Ms. Bennett, but this is information that we will be providing” said Glavin, on August 20.
Glavin’s comments resulted in a quick and stern rebuttal from both Bennett and her attorney.
“His resignation said it all, right? He really was defending himself until the last second,” Bennett said in an exclusive interview with NY1. “And in his statement after his resignation he even said that he would win in an impeachment, which I thought was laughable.”
“In the sense that the report came out and it corroborated everything that we had said in March, so in that sense, I’m happy,” Bennett said. “And I think at the end of the day we are going to have our first female governor of New York and that is cause for celebration.”
Bennett said that Assembly’s decision to suspend their impeachment investigation, “was really disheartening. And it didn’t really feel like their calls for respecting the attorney general’s investigation were actually genuine. And that investigation was so important to this whole process. Before the report came out, let’s remember, about a week-and-a half before the report came out, Speaker Heastie was saying that the report probably won’t ‘rise to an action,’” Bennett said. “What does that mean? And where is that attitude coming from? I find it so surprising. And it really has been — it’s been upsetting.”
On the AG’s report, Bennett said that “I was just really, really pleased with Anne Clark and Joon Kim. They were so professional and they were serious. They know what they are doing, they know what they are talking about,” Bennett said. “I think the attorney general not only appointed exactly the right investigators, but the way that she approached the issue at the press conference, when the report was released, was just, it felt like a moment I will replay many times over.”
Bennett attorney Debra Katz released a statement which read, “Today the Governor is back to showing his true colors. He unleashed his lawyer and PR apparatus in an effort to smear Charlotte and the other women who have courageously come forward. He cares not a whit for the people he has harmed. The governor’s lawyer claimed that she possesses “new information” relating to Charlotte’s credibility. Her rank insinuation that Charlotte is a liar flies in the face of the Attorney General’s express finding that Charlotte’s accusations against the Governor were credible.
An apology without change is merely manipulation. The Governor’s efforts to explain away his behavior are classic examples of gaslighting.. and smearing Charlotte, as his attorney did today, is actionable post-employment retaliation. The Governor would be wise to think twice about holding another press conference,” stated Katz.
Bennett gets the last word, “I will not be intimidated by the outgoing Governor or his attorney.”
