A former New York journalist is defending Gov. Andrew Cuomo after a video surfaced of him and her sharing a meal at the 2016 New York State Fair that some media outlets labeled as “creepy.”
In the video, Cuomo says to then-local Westchester reporter Beth Cefalu, “I want to see you eat the whole sausage,” referring to a large sandwich Cefalu had on her plate. The video surfaced as Cuomo faces two allegations of sexual harassment, but Cefalu said their interaction was nothing more than an informal encounter.
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“It’s really sad that Fox News or any media will turn my interaction with Governor Andrew Cuomo at the fair into some sleazy scandal that it wasn’t,” Cefalu, now a motivational blogger, wrote on her Facebook page. “It started because I said I was hungry and he responded by doing a nice thing. I was not pressured, or harassed, or made to feel uncomfortable. The interaction is just two people enjoying the one event — the NYS fair — that gives them a little more freedom to be informal. It’s really sad it’s being turned into anything more.”
Cefalu reiterated her assertions on Twitter, saying she was not contacted by media outlets that reported the story and said the video has been distorted into something false.
“This is why people hate ‘the media’ misleading headlines and one-sided articles twisting reality,” Cefalu tweeted.
The video was taken by WSYR, the Syracuse station Cefalu was working for at the time.
Cefalu said she thought Cuomo made the comment about the sausage because of her tiny stature.
“When I made the comment that I was hungry, he heard it and that’s how this whole thing started,” Cefalu told News 12 of the Hudson Valley. “He genuinely and sincerely asked if I thought I would be able to finish it because it’s a massive sandwich. I’m a tiny person; I’m 105 pounds.”
The Washington Examiner reached out to Cefalu for comment and did not immediately hear back.
After facing two separate allegations of sexual harassment, Cuomo issued an apology on Sunday, saying he never meant to make anyone uncomfortable and never inappropriately touched anyone.
The governor also signaled support for an independent review on the matter after New York Attorney General Letitia James asked for a referral from the governor’s office to pursue an investigation into the claims.
“I have 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,” Cuomo said.
Last week, 36-year-old Lindsey Boylan accused Cuomo of forcibly trying to kiss her on the lips and asked her to play strip poker during a flight in October 2017. Cuomo’s office denied those allegations. Following Boylan’s allegation, 25-year-old Charlotte Bennett, who previously worked in the governor’s administration, alleged Cuomo asked her a number of questions about her personal life, including how she viewed age gaps in relationships and talked about his loneliness amid the coronavirus pandemic.
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Beth Garvey, who serves as special counsel and senior adviser to the governor, said they turned the case over to James and the chief judge of the court of appeals to jointly select an independent and qualified lawyer in private practice without any political affiliation to review the allegations and issue a public report.
Garvey added that “all members of the governor’s office will cooperate fully.”
