'This Is Not Who I Am’: Cuomo Rebuts Sexual Harassment Report

NEW YORK — Despite a damning report released by the New York attorney general’s office, Gov. Andrew Cuomo remained defiant on Tuesday, saying that he never touched anyone inappropriately or made inappropriate sexual advances toward multiple women.

Speaking to the public via a recorded message, Cuomo said, "I want you to know, directly from me. ... That is not who I am or who I have ever been."

Cuomo’s comments came following an explosive new report from Attorney General Letitia James that says he sexually harassed multiple women in violation of federal and state law.

Cuomo, a Democrat, has been under scrutiny during an investigation by James that spanned almost five months. Two outside attorneys spoke to 179 people who said that employees — including current and former members of the executive chamber, state troopers and additional state employees — reported a "hostile work environment" that was "rife with fear and intimidation."

Independent investigators, led by Joon H. Kim and Anne L. Clark, released the report, stating that Cuomo harassed multiple women by engaging in unwanted groping, kissing and hugging, and making inappropriate comments.

Following the report’s release, multiple people, including Democrats, have called for Cuomo’s resignation. Among them were House Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a Democrat, and President Joe Biden. Read the full story on Southampton Patch

Pentagon Officer Killed In Attack

A police officer was fatally stabbed Tuesday morning during a burst of violence at the Pentagon Transit Center in Washington, D.C.

The attack happened around 10:30 a.m. on the platform of the facility's transit center after an exchange of gunfire occurred.

Officials quickly put the Pentagon on lockdown, and multiple law enforcement agencies responded to the scene after receiving reports of the sound of gunfire coming from the area of the transit center

"This fallen officer died in the line of duty, helping protect the tens of thousands of people who work in — and who visit — the Pentagon on a daily basis,” Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin III said in a statement. “We are forever grateful for that service and the courage with which it is rendered." Read the full story on Arlington Patch

More Reads

Biz Markie Celebrated: No one will ever beat "The Biz," and that was a recurring theme on Monday as the Clown Prince of Hip-Hop's life was celebrated at his funeral, via Patchogue Patch.

Great Balls Of Fire: If you catch only one meteor shower this year, make it the fireball-producing Perseids, which offer the perfect excuse to head to a dark sky park and spend the night under Earth's celestial canopy, via Across America Patch.

A Protected Class: Despite an uproar from citizens, a New York county legislature recently made it a hate crime to "harass, menace, assault or injure" any first responder, via Nassau Patch.

A New Cryptocurrency: Becoming the first city with its own cryptocurrency, Miami’s new MiamiCoin was available for mining Tuesday through the community’s CityCoins initiative, via Miami Patch.

‘Hope He Dies’: In a now-deleted tweet, a leader of the Rhode Island Democratic Party asked if "it's wrong to hope” that South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham dies from COVID-19. It did not go well, via Cranston Patch.

NYC Mandates Vaccines: New Yorkers who aren't vaccinated against the coronavirus will find themselves shut out of restaurants, concerts and gyms starting Aug. 16, via New York City Patch.

Quotable

“Maybe we should dial it back. Let Simone Biles run her race, so to speak. And remember that, at the end of the day, these are people — not superheroes from the Marvel Cinematic Universe.”

- Dallas Patch editor Kevin Phinney on Simone Biles’ break from Olympic competition

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