Quickly after the first woman accused Democrat New York Governor Andrew Cuomo of sexual harassment, Cuomo and his allies began circulating a letter that aimed at discrediting her claims and disparaging her character, according to the New York Times.
“Days after Lindsey Boylan became the first woman to accuse Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo of sexual harassment in a series of Twitter posts in December, people tied to the governor started circulating an open letter that they hoped former staff members would sign,” the Times reported.
“The letter was a full-on attack on Ms. Boylan’s credibility, suggesting that her accusation was premeditated and politically motivated,” the Times continued. “It disclosed personnel complaints filed against her and attempted to link her to supporters of former President Donald J. Trump.”
Cuomo was involved with creating the letter, according to the Times. Multiple drafts were created, then his current aides emailed at least one draft to a group of former advisers. After that, it was circulated between current and former aides to the governor.
“Weaponizing a claim of sexual harassment for personal political gain or to achieve notoriety cannot be tolerated,” the letter said. “False claims demean the veracity of credible claims.”
Ms. Boylan’s lawyer, Jill Basinger, responded to the letter on Tuesday, saying it was an attempt to smear her client.
“Once again, a victim of sexual harassment who has the courage to tell her story is put in the position of not only having to relive the trauma of a toxic work environment but defend herself against the malicious leaking of supposed personnel files, character assassinations and a whisper campaign of retaliation,” Ms. Basinger said. “This page needs to be ripped out of the governor’s harassment handbook.”
