A THIRD woman has accused New York governor Andrew Cuomo of sexual harassment after he tried to kiss her at a wedding.
It comes after Cuomo's former aides Charlotte Bennett and Lindsey Boylan claimed the governor behaved inappropriately while working for his administration.
Who is Anna Ruch?
Anna Ruch is a former member of the Obama administration with a dedicated political career.
Between 2014 and 2017, she was the Photo Office Director of Operations and Photo Editor at the White House, as well as taking on the role of Special Assistant at the Department of Energy during Obama's second term.
Ruch also served as a Voter Activation Director during President Joe Biden's electoral campaign.
The 33-year-old briefly worked at Instagram as an Editorial Producer and has her own website, by the name of 'Anna Ruch Photography'.
Ruch graduated from Bradley University in 2008 with a political science degree and she also earned an MSc in Refugee and Forced Migration Studies from Oxford University.
She is one of the LGBTQ White House employees included in the iconic 'first class photo' in 2016.
What has Anna Ruch accused Andrew Cuomo of?
Ruch has accused Andrew Cuomo of sexual harassment after two former aides accused him of misconduct.
In September 2019, she attended a friends wedding in New York City. At the wedding reception, she was introduced to the capitals governor, Cuomo.
Ruch claims the 63-year-old placed his hand on her lower back after she had gone to congratulate him on his toast.
When she removed his hand, he allegedly placed them on her cheeks in an "aggressive" manner and asked, "Can I kiss you?"
She claims as she tried to pull away, the controversial governor kissed her cheek. "I didn’t have a choice in that matter. I didn’t have a choice in his physical dominance over me at that moment. And that’s what infuriates me," she told The New York Times.
The encounter left Ruch feeling "confused and shocked and embarrassed" and was captured in a series of photos by her friend.
There are reportedly also text messages that corroborate the story, with Ruch telling an unidentified person she was "p****d" at Cuomo.
The former US housing secretary turned governor admitted his behaviour "may have been insensitive or too personal" after reports of Ruch's claims began.
"I acknowledge some of the things I have said have been misinterpreted as an unwanted flirtation. To the extent anyone felt that way, I am truly sorry about that," the Democrat said.
Cuomo said he would co-operate with an investigation led by the state Attorney General amid increasing calls for him to resign or be removed from his position.
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