And I thought to myself, that probably wasn't the best thing to say," Commisso said. Finally, after asking about details of her blouse, they stop saying its fine before she can make it worse and omit this whole crucial part of her testimony and the fact that she wore a coat completely. A selfie taken by Brittany Commisso with New York Governor Andrew Cuomo. In that report, "Executive Assistant #1 . Commisso is a close friend of another accuser, Alyssa McGrath since high school. He reached under her blouse grasping one of her breasts over her bra. All rights reserved. She added: I in no way, shape or form invited that nor did I ask for it. To attack this investigation and attempt to undermine and politicize this process takes away from the bravery displayed by these women., The statement added, There will be a rolling production of interview transcripts made available to the state Assembly, which will be redacted as needed. She started to work for Cuomo in the Executive Chamber as an Administrative Assistant in 2019. Furthermore, Commisso did not agree to an interview with the Albany Police Department. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. Brittany Damino Commisso has worked in various roles in the local and state government, according to her now-deleted LinkedIn profile. She told him the divorce created financial pressure. I didnt want it. In her testimony on May 17, 2021, she claimed she deleted them because she didnt want Cuomo to see how shaky and nervous she was. According to her testimony, the door was open, so she said Youre going to get us in trouble. McGrath lied about these text messages. Brittany Commisso reported Cuomo to the Albany County sheriff's office last week, days after an investigation by the state attorney general's office found she was among 11 women whom the . Commisso has continued to work at the Capitol, according to the Times-Union, which wrote in April 2021: In the backdrop of the dual investigations and the political theater, the young woman at the center of the most serious allegations has soldiered on, reporting to her job at the Capitol where she has endured an occasional dirty look and fewer work assignments. She said as they were posing for the photo, Cuomo moved his hand to grab her butt cheek and then rubbed it for "at least five seconds.". (AG report p. 20-21). It also appears that Commisso either photo-shopped the picture or used a filter. She said, Youre crazy. After the AG announced the findings of her result and published the report, Rita Glavin provided a detailed timeline of activities on November 16, 2020, which shows that the incident could not have happened that day. "Therewill be a rolling production of interview transcripts made available to the state Assembly, which will be redacted as needed," he said. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Brittany Commisso, going on camera for the first time, said Cuomo is lying. After finishing her draft of the speech, she said, Mr. Cuomo suggested the two of them take a selfie. Luego de que la semana pasada la Oficina del Fiscal General del estado concluyera que el Gobernador . On March 3, 2021, Commisso started her allegations, after she and her coworkers watched Cuomos press conference when he said he never touched any woman inappropriately. He also stated that the photo had been taken at her request and that he had asked her not to share it. Facts Still Matter. It was untucked.Q. By that November, the Times Union reported, she was being called to assist Cuomo more frequently, including at the Executive Mansion. She started to work for Cuomo in the Executive Chamber as an Administrative Assistant in 2019. "I was afraid that if I had come forward, and revealed my name, that the governor and his 'enablers' I like to call them would viciously attack me, would smear my name as I had seen and heard them do before to people," she said. To me and the other women that he did this to, oh, it was not normal, Ms. Commisso said. ", CUOMO EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT COMES FORWARD, ALLEGES NY GOVERNOR 'BROKE THE LAW'. Commisso claims Cuomo told her to send the picture to McGrath but not to share it with anyone else. They are currently going through a contested divorce, according to New York state records. "So we sat down on the couch and in the photo I have my arm wrapped around his shoulder, almost as if we were taking a picture with a buddy. Commissos father, Frank Commisso Sr., also a Democrat, has been a member of the Albany County Legislature since 1983. For the first time Monday, Commisso publicly came forward with her claims that Cuomo twice groped her in the Executive Mansion calling his conduct a crime in a new interview with CBS This Morning and the Albany Times Union. Nearly four years later, she's the woman known as executive assistant #1 in the New York Attorney General's report into allegations of sexual harassment by the governor. The independent investigators selected are widely respected professionals, recognized for their legal and investigatory ability. The fact that she wore a long winter coat when she was in the office which was omitted by AG James is exculpatory evidence and disproves her story. "I have to tell you it was at the moment I was in such shock that I could just tell you that I just remember looking down seeing his hand, seeing the top of my bra and I remember it was like a little even the cup the kind of bra that I had to the point I could tell you doesnt really fit me properly, it was a little loose, I just remember seeing exactly that. AG report p. 20, fn#123. "I believe that he groped me, he touched me, not only once, but twice.". Last week, Commisso submitted her complaint report for August 2021. In essence she has accused Governor Cuomo of sexual assault. "What he did to me was a crime," Commisso said of Cuomo during the interview. Brittany Commisso is one of 11 women referenced in a scathing report from New York State Attorney General Letitia James that alleged Cuomo sexually harassed multiple women and violated state and. The coupleis in the midst of contested divorce proceedings andhas a scheduled courtroom date in Albany Supreme Court on Friday, the New York Post reported. Cuomo looks understandably as this was the time of holiday events, speeches, and most importantly preparing for the State of the State speech tired and beaten up. In early 2020, Commisso said Cuomo kissed her on the lips during one of his routine hugs. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. They ignored that the selfie was photoshopped. Ms. Commisso, in her interview, described an escalating pattern of sexual behavior during her time working with the governor. Brittany, Frank's wife, is one of the 11 women who have accused the Governor of sexual touching at work. Her selfie story is incongruent with facts and is nonsensical. The attorney generals office report stated accusations made by Commisso and 10 other women were credible and corroborated. Commisso whose groping allegationled to a misdemeanor criminal complaint being filedagainstthe former governor last month implied that her estranged husband may have been manipulated by Cuomo insiders into erroneously believing she and Cuomo had a consensual affair. Commisso was. Commisso stated she thought he wanted to make McGrath jealous to see her reaction. ", Commisso described Cuomo's behavior that night as "almost as if he was in a sexually aggressive state of mind. Legal Statement. She then gave another date to the Times Union which proved impossible. After Cuomo and his attorneys responded to the report in a video statement and at a press conference, James and the attorney generals office issued a statement on August 6 saying, After multiple women made accusations that Governor Cuomo sexually harassed them, the governor, himself, requested that Attorney General James oversee an independent investigation. "I hope that the other women understand and that I've seen them and I support them. In his defense, Mr. Cuomo told investigators that Ms. Commisso was the initiator of any hugs between them, the report said. This image provided by CBS This Morning/Times Union shows Brittany Commisso, left, answering questions during an interview with CBS correspondent Jericka Duncan on CBS This Morning, Sunday, Aug. 8 . Story tips can be sent to Jessica.Chasmar@fox.com. She said, You just wait and see, and the governor will be stealing you,' the woman said. To attack this investigation andattempt to undermine and politicize this process takes away from the bravery displayed by these women. I was so nervous. Commisso has said she initially kept silent about Cuomos alleged gross behavior because she feared retribution from his staff and because she wanted to protect her daughter. I mean it was he was like cupping my breast. This indicates she was looking for a financial settlement and/or judgment. Albany County Sheriff Craig Apple said at a press conference that the accusations made against Cuomo by Commisso could lead to an arrest on misdemeanor charges. Cuomo accuser Brittany Commisso breaks her silence to detail groping allegations and says the governor is lying; Brittany Commisso is one of 11 women referenced in a scathing report from New York . Commisso, as far as I know, has had no communication with anyone in the executive chamber or any allies of governor Cuomo.. ET First Published: Aug . Cuomo has denied any wrongdoing following the state AGs report and has refused widespread calls to resign. She said he would also ask about her divorce and whether she had ever had sex with other men during her marriage. On March 8, EA#2 and #3 reported the incident to the governors counsel, who relayed the information to the AGs office and GOER, the Governors Office of Employee Relations. Cuomo has denied that he ever touched Commisso inappropriately, including when they took the selfie. On August 5, Brittany Commisso filed a criminal complaint at the Sheriffs Office (instead of the Police Department), 10 days before she had her next court date regarding her divorce. I would never on my own get up and initiate a hug with the governor, Ms. Commisso said in a joint interview with CBS This Morning and the Albany Times Union. She was then a confidential secretary in the Albany County Alternate Public Defenders office from May 2017 to November 2017. Where this non-disclosure agreement comes from, that is not a wording that he would use, she continued. Commisso stated that the incident happened around the day she was tasked to take a photo of the document. And the interactions she described and the timing of it dont match up at all.. Commisso has a financial motive, and the timing of her allegations is connected with her divorce and financial issues. Her task was to help with a technical issue with his mobile phone. Cuomo resigned on Tuesday. Cuomo then, according to Commisso, suggested the two try again on the couch. Commisso Jr., also a Democrat, unsuccessfully ran for mayor of Albany in 2017. More information:https://ag.ny. I remember looking at them, and when he said, 'can I see them?' "The independent investigators selected are widely respected professionals, recognized for their legal and investigatory ability. Commisso ended the interview by pleading with the governor to heed his own words. But to me and the other women that he did this to, well, it was not normal," she said. What he did to me was a crime. I remember (thinking), You have to pull yourself together even if you have to sit here for a couple minutes to do that. If I told someone, Im done. fine for not having a boat licence qld; cherokee brick products Records also show that several people were at the Mansion, including Ms. Benton, Ms. DeRosa, and Peter Ajemian, none of whom were asked about what they heard or saw that day, as one would expect in a real investigation. "And there has been no open-minded fact-finding in this case. Then there was at one point a hug, and then when he went to go kiss me on the cheek, he quickly turned his head and he kissed me on the lips.". "Not only embarrassed for what was going on, I was embarrassed that a governor wanted a selfie and I couldn't take it. They denied the raise and made no other promises. Did it have a zipper or wrap or buttons, how was it fastened?A. Premo told the newspaper, the day we met that she would take a polygraph test without hesitation.. Cuomo's office says he groped and sexually harassed her allegations he. The governor needs to be held accountable. The investigators ignored McGraths lie when she explains her text message which contradicts the narrative. Cuomo of groping her speaks publicly for the first time: "What he did to me was a crime," Brittany Commisso tells @CBSThisMorning & @timesunion. Commisso's accusations of increasingly inappropriate advances included Cuomo sneaking his hand down to her butt and rubbing it, during an embrace for a selfie that he suggested they take . The pair . Brittany Commisso is one of 11 women referenced in a scathing report from New York State Attorney General Letitia James that alleged Cuomo sexually harassed multiple women and violated state. And it's your turn to do the right thing. Cuomo, 63, has repeatedly denied that he ever touched anyone inappropriately. He has not been criminally charged. The sequence also changed from groping upon arrival (April version) to happening after she sent the text to Benton and called her from Cuomos phone to confirm receipt of the text. This indicates she was looking for a financial settlement and/or judgment. And in November 2020, she said she and the governor were alone in his office at the executive mansion when he slid his hand up her blouse and grabbed her breast over her bra. For over three months, Executive Assistant #1 kept this groping incident to herself and planned to take it to the rave, but found herself becoming emotional (in a way that was visible to her colleagues in the executive chamber) while watching the governor state, at a press conference on March 3, 2021, that. Will Pavia, New York. His attorney, Glavin, said at a press conference on August 6, He is 63 years old. Where I said, are you saying that youre been speaking with the Cuomo people and I think he catches himself and immediately says, I never said that. Around November 2019, when she started to assist Mr. Cuomo at the Executive Mansion, the governor would comment on her appearance, the attorney generals report said. Commisso was not the first woman to come forward with allegations of sexual misconduct against Cuomo, but she is listed first in the attorney general's report. Commisso was hired by the Executive Chamber as a $62,000-a-year administrative assistant in fiscal 2019 and previously worked as a . I just put it back on.Q. Brittany Commisso, one of the women accusing ex-Gov. Commisso describes her coat as a long winter coat with a zipper and a belt. When asked why she wrote this, she explains I felt like I needed to say that considering she was with him and he wanted he asked that it be sent to me. When asked how she knew this, she responds I knew after the fact when she told me. (Commisso allegedly called her after she left the mansion). She also said that she did not come forward publicly because she was fearful of retaliation. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. His actions toward her, she said, made her uncomfortable. I remember just being told to go in there and literally take whatever he had on his notes app and to put it into his text messages and send it to Stephanie. Executive Assistant Who Accused Cuomo of Groping Says It Was Not Normal, https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/09/nyregion/Brittany-commisso-cuomo.html, Brittany Commisso, left, answering questions during an interview with correspondent Jericka Duncan on CBS This Morning., CBS This Morning and Albany Times Union, via Associated Press. He kissed one on the forehead, one on the cheek. (Screenshot from AG report, fn#214, p#31, and Screenshot from Rita Glavins Submission). In an exclusive interview with @CBSThisMorning & @timesunion, Brittany Commisso, an Executive Assistant at NY Gov. She said that she was at the governor's mansion that night to help Cuomo with his upcoming State of the State address. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more Fox News politics content. On that same day, Commisso was at a birthday party for her friend McGrath. In December of that same year, she said she was with Cuomo at the executive mansion when he asked her to take a "selfie" with him. Report by Executive Assistants #2 and #3, March 8, 2021:The Governor pushed her / threw her aginst the wall, put his hand under his shirt, touched her breast and kissed her. Neither she nor her hubby appear to currently use social media. Mr. Cuomos top aide, Melissa DeRosa, was among those who spearheaded the effort, the report said. The Truth Will Be Out. On page 190 Commisso also testified that she is not getting child support from her husband. Blackberry PIN messages used by the Protective Services Unit to announce visitors confirmed that Commisso was there on November 16, 2020. With my right hand, I took the selfie," she said. Brittany Commisso begged her then-boss Andrew Cuomo for a raise and not to cut her hours in November 2020 despite the fact she'd have to leave early to pick up her daughter from school, he said. Commisso also explained that she wanted to protect her daughter, saying, "I didn't want her to have to deal with anything that came along with this. Neither of them said anything and she walked out.
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