Lindsey Boylan was a deputy secretary for economic development and special adviser to the governor, but this job, although prestigious, was also a job that she had initially been quite hesitant to accept because of the way Cuomo had made her feel uncomfortable in the past. Boylan wrote that “telling my truth isn’t about seeking revenge. I was proud to work in the Cuomo Administration… for so long I had looked up to the Governor. But his abusive behavior needs to stop.” This is in reference to a claim made in a medium post by Lindsey Boylan about his sickening actions of kissing her on the lips without consent and making inappropriate suggestions to her.
She stated that when she first met Cuomo at an event at Madison Square Garden back in 2016 to promote the Pennsylvania Station-Farley Complex project, her boss told her the governor had a “crush” on her. So to accommodate that, she only accepted the job in agreement to working on different floors so that she would not have to be so close to him. Boylan also made other statements about certain actions of his that made her uncomfortable in the office such as touching her lower back, arms, and legs, comparing her to a former girlfriend, and asking her to play strip-poker.
Boylan said, “the kiss took place after she gave the governor a one-on-one briefing on state economic and infrastructure projects” and that “the idea that someone might think I held my high-ranking position because of the Governor's crush on me was more demeaning than the kiss itself.” In addition to this, Boylan had also made remarks about how she tried to just push through it and keep showing up to work, but as each day passed she felt more nauseous and scared to come in. She had even tried bringing up the issue to other female coworkers but had been constantly shut down or told to get in line and not turn the situation into a larger issue.
She told us she was initially scared to come forward because the governor has a reputation for using “intimidation to silence his critics. And if you dared to speak up, you would face consequences.” Cuomo responded to the release of information by saying, “look, I fought for and I believe a woman has a right to come forward and express her opinion...but it’s just not true.” He claims that her words are false. Yet, she was able to back up her statements with screenshots of messages and emails showing that Cuomo had said the words he denies.
https://www.politico.com/states/new-york/albany/story/2021/02/24/former-aide-charges-cuomo-kissed-sexually-harassed-her-1365096https://medium.com/@lindseyboylan4NY/my-story-of-working-with-governor-cuomo-e664d4814b4e
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