While all three networks chose to ignore sexual harassment allegations from a top aide against their favorite, scandal-embroiled governor yesterday, CBS and NBC finally got around to it on their Thursday morning shows. But ABC, who once employed Andrew Cuomo’s journalist brother Chris Cuomo, ignored the story again.
CBS This Morning teased their upcoming report multiple times, before giving a little over three minutes to former top Cuomo aide, Lindsey Boylan, accusing the governor of sexually harassing and bullying her and other female staffers in his office.
Correspondent Mola Lenghi noted how Boylan had brought these claims up two months ago on Twitter, but now was offering more details, including unwanted touching, kissing and inappropriate comments. Lenghi’s report balanced denials from Cuomo’s office and other aides while speaking with others who supported Boylan and backed up her claims with their own experiences of Cuomo’s bullying.
Lenghi reported in part:
Lindsay Boylan, a Democrat running for Manhattan borough president, previously worked for Andrew Cuomo for more than three years. Boylan alleges she was told in 2016 the governor had a crush on her. She says once after a one-on-one briefing, Cuomo stepped in front of her and kissed her on the lips without permission, and on an October, 2017, trip on his taxpayer-funded jet, the governor suggested let's play strip poker. The governor's office disputes the claims.
NBC’s Today Show only devoted thirty seconds to the allegations by Boylan. Anchor Hoda Kotb reported on some of Boylan’s harassment allegations while leaving out other claims, before touting Cuomo’s denial:
“Boylan also says the Governor would, quote, “go out of his way to touch me on my lower back, arms and legs and once remarked that they should play strip poker.” Governor Cuomo’s press secretary says that Boylan’s claim of inappropriate behavior is “quite simply false,” Kotb reported.
But ABC couldn’t find time in their two hour Good Morning America show to give even a mention of the new allegations, (though they did spend a significant amount of time talking about Britney Spears’ family drama.)
Of course the network did find time to devote two full back-to-back reports on Republican scandals during the first half-hour of GMA today; first on Democrats attempting to remove Postmaster General Louis DeJoy; and second on South Dakota’s Republican Attorney General facing calls of impeachment.
ABC has had a dismal record of reporting on Andrew Cuomo’s nursing home scandal. Last Friday, we noted that their political daytime talk show The View, spent significantly more time discussing Cuomo than their actual news division did.
Tuesday, before these latest allegations resurfaced, GMA gently reported on Cuomo’s aide admitting they had covered up the number of nursing home deaths to avoid criticism. But instead of describing it as a coverup, George Stephanopoulos euphemistically described it as “misreporting the number of nursing home deaths in the state.” Correspondent Eva Pilgrim also went on defense for Cuomo, touting the governor blaming Republicans for his own crooked actions and parroting his blame game with, “an aide admitted the administration withheld the nursing home death toll from state lawmakers out of fear it would be used against the state by the Trump administration.”
Tell ABC's advertisers Liberty Mutual and IBM how you feel about their news agency protecting Andrew Cuomo, at the Conservatives Fight Back page here.
Read CBS and NBC’s relevant transcript portions below:
Today
02/25/21
7:31 AM
HODA KOTB: A former aide to New York Governor Andrew Cuomo says she was subjected to pervasive harassment by the Governor. Lindsey Boylan worked for the Cuomo administration from 2015 to 2018. She says Cuomo once kissed her on the lips without consent at his New York City office. Boylan also says the Governor would, quote, “go out of his way to touch me on my lower back, arms and legs and once remarked that they should play strip poker.” Governor Cuomo’s press secretary says that Boylan’s claim of inappropriate behavior is “quite simply false.”
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CBS This Morning
2/25/2021
7:41:01am- 7:44:11 am EST
TONY DOKUPIL: New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, who is already facing criticism for part of his response to the pandemic, faces new trouble this morning after detailed allegations of inappropriate behavior in the workplace. The latest accusations come from former aide Lindsay Boyan who wrote "Andrew Cuomo opposed his power as governor to sexually harass me just as he had done with so many other women." Mola Lenghi is following the story. Good morning to you. What is the governor saying about these allegations?
MOLA LENGHI: Good morning Tony. A spokesperson for the governor said in a statement, quote, claims of inappropriate behavior are quite simply false. Lindsay Boylan first brought her allegations forward about two months ago on Twitter. Allegations that the governor denies. Now she says she's providing details as the governor faces separate accusations of bullying and creating a toxic workplace
Lindsay Boylan, a Democrat running for Manhattan borough president, previously worked for Andrew Cuomo for more than three years. Boylan alleges she was told in 2016 the governor had a crush on her. She says once after a one-on-one briefing, Cuomo stepped in front of her and kissed her on the lips without permission, and on an October, 2017, trip on his taxpayer-funded jet, the governor suggested let's play strip poker. The governor's office disputes the claims. A statement from four aides who flew with Boylan and the governor that month said "We are on each of these October flights, and this conversation did not happen."
(…)
MOLAN: Now these accusations follow recent revelations that the governor and his team withheld data about the actual number of people who died of coronavirus in nursing homes in the state of New York. Senior adviser to Cuomo says that state senator Biaggi never interacted with the governor when she worked with his administration. We reached out to the governor's office for a response about the Biaggi, Hinton and Pehme’s claims and we’ve yet to hear back Tony.
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