King had no clothes: Scathing harassment report leads Governor Cuomo to resign

On August 3, 2021, New York State Attorney General (AG) Letitia James released a 165-page tome documenting—in excruciating and embarrassing detail—how Governor Andrew Cuomo allegedly sexually harassed 11 women and condoned a toxic, misogynistic, and abusive work environment permeated by fears of retaliation. If that wasn’t enough news for the day, Governor Cuomo released his own virile defense, which seemed more damning than helpful. On August 10, Governor Cuomo cut short his denial campaign and announced his retirement. Putting aside the rich irony here, read on to understand the lessons learned from this unbelievable saga.

How did we get here?

In a tweet on December 13, 2020, Lindsey Boylan, a former chief of staff at a state entity, alleged Governor Cuomo was physically inappropriate with her. This tweet caused other women to step forward with similar stories. It also set in motion alleged actions by the governor and his team to discredit Boylan.

Amidst murmurs about his impeachment, Governor Cuomo proclaimed he welcomed an investigation into the women’s allegations, which he denied. On March 1, 2021, his office officially referred the matter to the AG for a probe.

On March 8, the AG appointed her investigative team, headed up by a prominent plaintiffs’ lawyer, Anne L. Clark, and a former federal prosecutor, Joon H. Kim. The investigation, which ended after Governor Cuomo’s recent testimony, generated some 74,000 documents, 179 interviews, and 41 depositions under oath.

What did we learn?