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The New York Times reported that Cuomo and his staff drew up a letter targeting former aide Lindsey Boylan, who was the first of seven women to come out against the governor since December.
According to the report, Cuomo himself was directly involved, and it was emailed to several former aides for review. It is unclear how many people in the administration saw or signed the letter.
While circulating the open letter, the administration reportedly sought to have more women endorse the governor as he knew more women may be coming forward with allegations against him.
“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.”
The letter, which was not published but was reviewed by the Times, reportedly attempted to link Boylan to former President Donald Trump's followers while detailing personal complaints made against her.
Boylan, a 2021 Manhattan Borough President, and former Cuomo aide, first made her claims in December, calling it “the most toxic team environment” and saying that she has held many jobs in her life, and “waitressing at Friendly’s as a teenager was an infinitely more respectful environment.”
According to the report, the letter first made the rounds at a time when officials in Cuomo’s office knew of a second sexual harassment complaint from a second former aide was on the horizon.
Four more would later come forward with varying allegations against the governor.
Beth Garvey, Cuomo’s counsel, responded to the Times following the new report, saying "It is within a government entity’s discretion to share redacted employment records, including in instances when members of the media ask for such public information and when it is for the purpose of correcting inaccurate or misleading statements.”
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