Women's Groups That Lined Up to Condemn Kavanaugh Now Silent on Cuomo's Sex Harassment Scandal
Women’s groups that condemned Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh after he was accused of sexual assault have stayed silent as three women — including two former staffers — accuse Democratic New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo of sexual harassment.
Advocacy groups clamored to support Christine Blasey Ford in September 2018 when she accused Kavanaugh of sexually assaulting her in high school.
Groups such as Planned Parenthood, the Women’s March, the National Abortion Rights Action League, the American Association of University Women and the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Justice denounced Kavanaugh — a nominee of former President Donald Trump — and said they believed Blasey Ford.
The Daily Caller News Foundation reached out to each of these groups to ask why they have failed to support Cuomo’s accusers.
None of the groups responded to the DCNF’s repeated requests for comment.
The Planned Parenthood Federation of America has similarly stayed silent on the allegations, though a New York Planned Parenthood affiliate has weighed in on the matter.
“An independent investigation of the allegations against Governor Cuomo must be completed in a way that is both responsive and transparent. These are necessary steps on a path to restore trust and ensure accountability,” Emma Corbitt of Planned Parenthood Empire State Acts said this weekend.
Charlotte Bennett told The New York Times on Saturday that Cuomo asked her about her sex life, including whether she practiced monogamy and was interested in older men, and discussed her past sexual assault with her in an uncomfortable manner.
Bennett also said Cuomo suggested he was open to dating women her age and that she believes Cuomo was grooming her.
Earlier the same week, Lindsey Boylan had accused the governor of kissing her without her consent during a one-on-one briefing and making a number of sexually charged comments to her.
Cuomo’s latest accuser, Anna Ruch, told The New York Times that Cuomo touched her bare lower back, grabbed her face and asked if he could kiss her at a 2019 wedding reception. The alleged incident was captured in a photograph.
Breaking: A third woman has accused Cuomo of over-the-line behavior. Incredibly, a photographer caught the moment, and this look on her face: https://t.co/NnKCs1Y7WF pic.twitter.com/Smr4hNiKKp
— Jodi Kantor (@jodikantor) March 2, 2021
In a Sunday evening statement before Ruch came forward with her allegations, Cuomo apologized and said his actions toward Bennett and Boylan were “misinterpreted as an unwanted flirtation.”
“I never intended to offend anyone or cause any harm,” he said. “I spend most of my life at work and colleagues are often also personal friends.”
“I do, on occasion, tease people in what I think is a good natured way,” Cuomo said.
“I do it in public and in private. You have seen me do it at briefings hundreds of times. I have teased people about their personal lives, their relationships, about getting married or not getting married. I mean no offense and only attempt to add some levity and banter to what is a very serious business.”
The governor said he understands now that some of his interactions “may have been insensitive or too personal” and that given his position, some of his comments may have made others uncomfortable.
“To be clear I never inappropriately touched anybody and I never propositioned anybody and I never intended to make anyone feel uncomfortable, but these are allegations that New Yorkers deserve answers to,” Cuomo said.
President Joe Biden’s accuser Tara Reade received a cold shoulder from women’s advocacy groups when she accused Biden of sexual assault last spring.
Reade told the DCNF in April 2020 that it would have meant “so much” to her to have a women’s group support her when she came forward with her accusations.
“I say back to these women’s organizations, I want the same equal treatment that other survivors have received, no matter who the perpetrator is,” Reade said.
Her accusations garnered national attention, but establishment media reports sought to cast doubts on her academic credentials and her turbulent past.
Her attorney abandoned her case in early May following reports that Reade lied about her undergraduate degree.
Reade told the DCNF that she did not lie about her degree and is pursuing legal action against Antioch University.
“When are we going to hold powerful men preying on their staff accountable even if they are Democrats?” Reade asked on Monday.
“The women’s groups and female legislators not stepping up for these women are dealing the final blows to the MeToo movement that the Democratic Party hijacked for their political use then tossed aside when it became inconvenient,” she told the DCNF.
“I am the poster child for the politically inconvenient woman and I don’t want that for Lindsey or Charlotte.”
Content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. For licensing opportunities of their original content, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.
A version of this article appeared on the Daily Caller News Foundation website.
Truth and Accuracy
We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.
Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. Advertise Today.
