Cuomo apologizes: “I never intended to offend anyone”

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Gov. Andrew Cuomo'

ALBANY – Amidst a flurry of demands from state legislators calling for an independent investigation and others calling for the governor’s resignation, Andrew Cuomo Sunday apologized for what some have claimed were his inappropriate actions toward female staffers.

“I never intended to offend anyone or cause any harm,” he said. “I spent most of my life at work and colleagues are often also personal friends.”

He said he sometimes thinks he is being “playful” and makes jokes he thinks are funny. “I do, on occasion, tease people in what I think is a good-natured way. I do it in public and in private.”

Cuomo said he has 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.”

He said he now understands “that my interactions may have been insensitive or too personal and that some of my comments, given my positions, made others feel in ways I never intended. 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.”

But, he said he “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.”




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