"Isn't worth the paper it's printed on": Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo slams DOJ report that found him guilty of alleged assault

The US Department of Justice announced that former New York Governor, Andrew Cuomo reportedly s*xually assaulted several employees, as per a settlement announced on Friday, January 26. They mentioned that he allegedly created a "s*xually hostile work environment" for about 13 women, as per CBNC.

Cuomo, however, denied the s*xual harassment allegations. CBS News reported that his spokesperson Rich Azzopardi issued a statement and said:

"[DOJ’s investigation] isn’t worth the paper it’s printed on."

In August 2021, Cuomo resigned after 11 claims from different women were brought to light by New York Attorney General, Letitia James.

Trigger warning: The article contains references to s*xual harassment. Readers' discretion is advised.

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The DOJ concluded that Ex-New York Governor Andrew Cuomo harassed over a dozen employees

On Friday, the US Justice Department announced that Andrew Cuomo, the former New York Governor, had been convicted of s*xually harassing about 13 female employees. Reuters reported that Cuomo reportedly made advances and suggestive comments towards the women.

In a settlement agreement between Gov. Kathy Hochul’s office and the feds, Cuomo was slammed for reportedly assaulting and retaliating against several employees. As per The Guardian, the report read:

"Governor Cuomo repeatedly subjected these female employees to unwelcome, non-consensual s*xual contact; ogling; unwelcome s*xual comments; gender-based nicknames; comments on their physical appearances; and/or preferential treatment based on their physical appearances."

The agreement further stated that Cuomo’s office "engaged in a pattern or practice of s*xual harassment and retaliation." This is reportedly a violation of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. According to The New York Times, 66-year-old Cuomo is currently facing several civil suits in connection to the case.

On Friday, Rita Glavin, Andrew Cuomo's attorney stated that her client is innocent. Glavin further claimed that the US Justice Department gave their verdict solely based on Letitia James' 2021 report. According to Galvin, the report was "deeply flawed, inaccurate, biased, and misleading."

"At no point did DOJ even contact Governor Cuomo concerning these matters, This is nothing more than a political settlement with no investigation," Galvin said, as per CNBC.

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More about the agreement

As per The Guardian, the settlement agreement mentioned,

"When employees attempted to raise concerns about Cuomo’s conduct to his senior staff Cuomo’s staff failed to follow equal employment opportunity policies and procedures to promptly report those allegations to the appropriate investigative body."

The Guardian further reported that the investigation revealed that the former governor's senior staff retaliated against four women who spoke out against Andrew Cuomo. The agreement also contains several reforms reportedly undertaken by Governor Kathy Hochul, including the removal of Andrew's staff who reacted in an unfavorable way upon learning about the allegations against Cuomo.

According to CBS News, Hochul said:

"The moment I took office, I knew I needed to root out the culture of harassment that had previously plagued the Executive Chamber and implement strong policies to promote a safe workplace for all employees, and took immediate action to do so."

The Governor further said that as soon as she took office, she wanted to ensure a safe work environment.