Third Former Andrew Cuomo Aide Describes Inappropriate Workplace Treatment

In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, Ms. Liss said she initially perceived Mr. Cuomo’s conduct as harmless flirtations. Over time, she said, she has come to see it as patronizing, and she added it diminished her from an educated professional to “just a skirt.”

“It’s not appropriate, really, in any setting,” she said.

In response to questions about Ms. Liss, Rich Azzopardi, a senior adviser to Mr. Cuomo said Saturday: “Reporters and photographers have covered the governor for 14 years watching him kiss men and women and posing for pictures. At the public open-house mansion reception, there are hundreds of people, and he poses for hundreds of pictures. That’s what people in politics do.”

At his last public appearance on Wednesday, Mr. Cuomo said this behavior was customary for him.

“I understand that sensitivities have changed and behavior has changed, and I get it. And I’m going to learn from it,” he said.

Ms. Liss is the third former female aide to accuse Mr. Cuomo of inappropriate behavior in the workplace. The two other former aides have said he sexually harassed them. Mr. Cuomo has apologized for making people uncomfortable. He has said he never touched anyone inappropriately.

“It was unintentional, and I truly and deeply apologize for it,” he said Wednesday. “I feel awful about it and, frankly, I am embarrassed.”

Ms. Liss and other current and former administration officials said the governor regularly asked them about their dating lives, touched them and commented about their physical appearance. Longtime staffers told some women they should wear high heels when the governor was in Albany, according to Ms. Liss and other former staffers. Mr. Azzopardi said no one was compelled to wear high heels.

The Journal spoke with more than 30 officials who either work or have worked for Mr. Cuomo during his 10 years as governor. All of those officials, who include current and former agency heads, described a high-pressure environment where seven-day workweeks were common.

Several people described the working environment as toxic. Many former staffers recalled the governor’s actions more endearingly. Once on Valentine’s Day, Mr. Cuomo had roses delivered to the female employees, they said. Two women who received the flowers said they appreciated the gesture.

When asked about the criticism of working conditions, Mr. Azzopardi said: “The people of this state elected the governor to represent them four times during the last 14 years, and they know he works day and night for them. There is no secret these are tough jobs, and the work is demanding, but we have a top-tier team with many employees who have been here for years, and many others who have left and returned.”

One former aide, 25-year-old Charlotte Bennett, recently said Mr. Cuomo asked about her sex life and whether she had relationships with older men.

Another former adviser, Lindsey Boylan, said in a Feb. 24 Medium post that Mr. Cuomo tried to kiss her on the lips in his office and, during a 2017 flight on his plane, suggested they play strip poker. A spokeswoman for Mr. Cuomo has said Ms. Boylan’s accusations are false.

The governor is facing mounting pressure over the accusations, as well as how the state handled Covid-19 in nursing homes. State Attorney General Letitia James is overseeing an investigation into the accusations by Mses. Bennett and Boylan. Federal prosecutors are interested in how the governor’s top advisers pushed to alter a Health Department report to include a lower tally of deaths in those facilities, people familiar with the matter said.

Republicans and an increasing number of Democrats have called for Mr. Cuomo’s resignation or impeachment, but senior Democratic state lawmakers…