Lindsey Boylan, the former New York state employee and aide to Governor Andrew Cuomo who first came forward with sexual harassment allegations against him last December, suggests that he “retaliated” by ordering a smear campaign that targeted her, and in turn, endeavored to silence others with similar experiences.
“This smear was a blatant abuse of power by @nygovcuomo. He retaliated against me and others for speaking up. I look forward to the AG investigating this,” Boylan tweeted on Tuesday, as questions resurfaced about whether Cuomo had a hand in leaked documents that painted her, as an employee, in a negative light. Earlier, a New York Post report cited comments from Boylan’s attorney, Jill Basinger, also accusing the governor of green-lighting the state’s decision to release those documents when they did.
Boylan originally alleged that a series of leaked documents, obtained by the Associated Press, New York Post and the Albany Times Union soon after she publicized general statements about the governor’s conduct on Twitter, were part of a Cuomo-led effort to discredit and, perhaps, intimidate her in a February blog post. News outlets described files they received as “personnel documents” and “personnel records” containing information that reportedly indicated Boylan had harassed and belittled colleagues.
“Parts of a supposed confidential personnel file (which I’ve never seen) were leaked to the media in an effort to smear me,” Boylan wrote in a personal essay published via Medium on February 24.
Boylan’s essay recounted alleged workplace harassment and inappropriate behavior, on the governor’s part, throughout her time working under his administration. Its publication precipitated a wave of accusations against Cuomo, shared by five other women—including Charlotte Bennett, Anna Ruch, Karen Hinton, Ana Liss—most of whom are former New York state employees. A sixth accuser, identified only as a member of the New York state Executive Chamber’s staff, came forward on Tuesday.
Mr. Sniff and Bad Touch
Article URL : https://www.newsweek.com/lindsey-boylan-says-cuomo-retaliated-smear-campaign-against-accusers-1574953