Three isn’t enough?
State Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins said Thursday that another woman would have to come forward with allegations of sexual harassment by Gov. Andrew Cuomo before she would call for him to resign.
Stewart-Cousins (D-Westchester) made the taped remarks on Albany public affairs television program, “Capital Tonight,” which were recorded just hours before CBS News broadcast a wrenching interview with one of Cuomo’s three accusers.
“Any further people coming forward, I think it would be time to resign,” she told Spectrum News’ Susan Arbetter in response to a question about what it would take for her to call for Cuomo’s ouster.
Stewart-Cousins also told Arbetter that she could also call for him to step down after state Attorney General Letitia James completes her investigation into Cuomo’s behavior, however that review is not expected to be completed for weeks.
The “Capital Tonight” interview was taped around 4 p.m., sources told The Post — three hours before Albany’s local CBS station aired the CBS Evening News and its sitdown with Charlotte Bennett, the former Cuomo aide who now accuses the powerful governor of repeatedly harassing her.
Cuomo also faces allegations of mistreatment from Anna Ruch, who said that Cuomo made unwanted advances at a New York City wedding for one of his top staffers; and Lindsey Bolyan, a former staffer who is now running for Manhattan District Attorney.
After the CBS interview aired, Stewart-Cousins appeared on another program — New York 1’s ‘Inside City Hall’ — where she described Bennett’s interview as “heartbreaking.”
“It’s heartbreaking in a number of ways,” she told NY1. “The fact that we are here at this time in 2021 really having this conversation.”
She added: “I didn’t get a chance to see the entire interview but it’s clear that you know she’s traumatized in a profound way.”
However, she did not say if the CBS interview changed her position — nor was she explicitly asked about the topic.
A spokesman for the state Senate Democrats was not immediately able to comment when asked that question late Thursday night.
