An apology that includes a lie is not an apology.
And Andy lied.
Probably about all of it, but certainly about some of it.
He said he had never touched anyone inappropriately. And yet there is a photograph of him doing exactly that, and credible assertions of him doing so in at least two additional instances.
In the accounts of the three women who have complained of his sexual harassment, there are repeated claims of inappropriate touching.
There are also significant indications that his accusers are telling the truth. Each of them, contemporaneously with the alleged abuse, communicated their concerns to friends and relatives – often in ways that left a documentary trail. In at least one instance, the apparent victim immediately notified appropriate workplace officials.
These claims weren’t concocted at some later date, they were raised at least personally at the time they allegedly happened. And they did not change with time. The contemporaneous records or accounts we have jibe exactly with the current accusations.
All of these things powerfully support the credibility of the governor’s accusers. And that adds to the credibility of the particulars of their account. When a story can be documented in part, it is more likely to be true in whole.
And so, the specific claims by two of the women that they were touched in an unwelcome fashion by the governor seem to be a very likely refutation of his assertion that he didn’t touch anyone “inappropriately.”
Translation: They are credible and, consequently, he is not.
Here are the specifics.
The first woman to raise an accusation against the governor – the woman who was retaliated against by the leaking of her state personnel record – said that the governor repeatedly touched her on her arm, leg and back in a fashion that made her uncomfortable and which she judged inappropriate. It being her body, she is the judge of what is right or wrong, but most would agree that a man purposely touching the leg of a woman with his hand in a work environment is inappropriate.
Further, this woman said that the governor, as she was seeking to leave his office, where his subterfuge seems to have placed them alone together, kissed her on the mouth without her consent. That is undeniably inappropriate – all day, every day.
The third accuser, according to her account, was inappropriately touched twice. The first instance was when he, the two never having been introduced, walked up to her and put his hand on the bare skin of her back, her dress being cut in such a way that a portion of her back was uncovered. Most people would certainly see that as inappropriate, and creepily intentional. It seems prurient, and intended for the gratification of the governor.
When she immediately and forcefully removed his hand from her skin, he responded by grasping her head in his hands, and asking her if he could kiss her.
That is another instance of inappropriate touching.
Inappropriate and undeniable, because we all have seen the picture. We all have seen her eyes, his leer, and the physical dynamic of the moment. It is not just threatening in terms of the dynamic of social power, it is also threatening in the dynamic of physical power, given the nature of their posture and respective sizes.
It is completely and objectively wrong, and most people wouldn’t have blamed her if she had kicked him in the crotch or punched him in the throat in that moment. In some parts of the real world, that kind of conduct will get a man knocked on his ass.
Yet Andy Cuomo offered up an insincere apology and will now hide behind a potentially glacial “investigation” until this all blows over.
But let the record show that he lied.
These women’s accounts are borne out by contemporaneous correspondence, reports to supervisors and a photograph. They are telling the truth. And they said he touched them inappropriately. That makes his claim to the contrary a lie.
And that makes his apology a lie.
And that makes it not an apology.
But just one more game being played by a narcissistic megalomaniac. He killed the old people, he lied about it, he wrecked the economy, he mismanaged the virus, he has driven a million people from his borders, and he sexually harassed these women, hoping to sexually coerce them.
That’s the truth – for which he did not apologize and for which, ultimately, he must be held accountable.