Cuomo: Female reporter's question on sex harassment was 'disservice to women'

CLOSE Gov. Andrew Cuomo got into a back-and-forth with a female reporter Wednesday, Dec. 13, 2017, over how to address sexual-harassment allegations in government and elsewhere. Joseph Spector, Albany Bureau

ALBANY, N.Y. — The governor of the nation's fourth most populous state dodged a female reporter's question about addressing sexual harassment in his administration, condemning her interest as too narrow.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat, quickly turned a question Wednesday from Karen DeWitt, capitol bureau chief for New York State Public Radio's 10 stations, back on reporters participating in his first question-and-answer session in a few months.

"When you say, 'It's state government,' you do a disservice to women, with all due respect, even though you're a woman,' " Cuomo said. "It's not government. It's society. It was Harvey Weinstein in the arts industry. It's comedians. It's politicians. It's chefs, right? It's systemic."

► Tuesday: Americans, in rare agreement, say sexual misconduct must stop

► Friday: Sex harassment becomes a political issue with pitfalls for both parties

► Nov. 29: Steps to take if you sexually harassed, assaulted or raped at work

Sam Hoyt, a Buffalo-area Democrat and former senior aide to Cuomo, was accused in November of sexually harassing and assaulting a former state employee, paying Lisa Marie Cater $50,000 so she would stay silent. Hoyt, resigned from his job as regional president of the Empire State Development Corp. in October and had been hired for that job three years after he admitted he had had an affair with an intern while a state legislator.

DeWitt, who has covered state government since 1990 when Cuomo's father, Mario, was governor, then challenged Andrew Cuomo to name one thing his administration would do to combat sexual harassment in government.

He declined, instead suggesting he would remark on his solutions as part of his State of the State address Jan. 3. The governor is running for a third term in 2018 and is considered a possible presidential candidate in 2020.

► Nov. 22: French women go after sexual abusers with 'out your pig' campaign

► Nov. 20: Sexual harassment troubles mount in statehouses around the country

Since 2008, eight New York state lawmakers have faced sanctions or resigned in connection with claims of sexual harassment or improper fraternization. And since last year, at least 40 lawmakers — nearly all men — in 20 states have been publicly accused by more than 100 people of some form of sexual misconduct or harassment, a USA TODAY Network analysis found.

"He was asked about one industry and said it needs to be addressed across the board," Andrew Cuomo's top aide, Melissa DeRosa, wrote on Twitter after the governor faced a backlash on social media. "Limiting the problem to one man, political party or profession misses the whole point of the 'me too' moment."

Follow Jon Campbell on Twitter: @JonCampbellGAN

Here's the transcript of Gov. Andrew Cuomo's exchange with @kdewitt7 on sexual harassment, though you have to watch the video to see how tense it was. pic.twitter.com/xN6FWtBAfR — Jon Campbell (@JonCampbellGAN) December 13, 2017

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