Washington, D.C. — Today, Mara Rudman, executive vice president for policy at the Center for American Progress, released the following statement following the release of a report by the New York attorney general’s office into the conduct of Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D-NY):
The sexual harassment allegations that have been leveled against Gov. Andrew Cuomo are deeply disturbing. A comprehensive investigation initiated at the request of the governor and undertaken by the New York attorney general’s office concluded that there were multiple credible allegations of unlawful sexual harassment by Gov. Cuomo. These findings illustrate behavior that is, simply put, unacceptable. They should not be ignored or dismissed.
Sexual harassment is unlawful and has no place in any workplace, particularly at the highest levels of government where citizens should have a reasonable expectation of respect for and adherence to the law. Sexual harassment, left unchecked, sends a troubling message inside and outside the workplace. Discriminatory, illegal behavior must not be tolerated or ignored. Millions of women and workers have dealt with sexual harassment but decided not to come forward because they feared retaliation or that they would not be believed. In order to root out this kind of conduct in our society, it is important to support a thorough investigation such as this one, which relied on the courage of the survivors who tell their stories.
Any leader who consistently misuses and abuses power to target women with harassment should not continue to hold their leadership position. The governor should resign or be removed.
For more information or to speak with an expert, please contact Colin Seeberger at [email protected] or 202-741-6292.