It's Important to see the whole picture, Accuser #2

Note:  This post examines publicly available information and defense-raised challenges.

Charlotte Bennett worked for Governor Andrew Cuomo as a special assistant for briefings in January 2019.  She organized and researched materials on relevant topics for the Governor.  In May 2019, she was also assigned to be his executive assistant.  In this role, Bennett managed telephone calls, took dictation and, for a period of time, traveled with the Governor.

At Hamilton College, Bennett majored in Women’s and Gender Studies and Psychology.  She was an activist and was a founding member of the Sexual Misconduct and Assault Reform Task-Force (SMART).

The allegations

Danny Boy  On May 16, 2019, Cuomo asked Bennett if she knew the song, “Danny Boy.” He handed her a copy of the lyrics and asked her to memorize them.  There are notes in the AG’s report to corroborate this and Melissa DeRosa remarks that this was “hazing.”  Bennett also texts a family member.

The report also says  “Once Ms. Bennett returned to her cubicle, a colleague told Ms. Bennett that the Governor had been testing Ms. Bennett for her temperament, confidence, ability to handle herself, anxiety, and memory.”

Pushups  Cuomo asks Bennett how many pushups she could do.  Stephanie Benton overheard this conversation.

On August 9, 2019, Bennett posts to her Instagram account

 Hand size   Cuomo persistently asked Bennett what people were saying about the size of his hands.  Bennett testified that she understood Cuomo was attempting to get her to say something about the size of his genitals.  She was uncomfortable and wanted to change the topic but didn’t want to anger Cuomo.  I find it interesting that the one in this group that is true sexual harassment has no corroboration.

The Bun  Cuomo asked Bennett why her hair was in a bun and that he didn’t like it.

 January 19, 2020 conversation   Bennett told Cuomo that his signing of sexual assault legislation in 2015 changed her life.  She then disclosed that she had been sexually assaulted in college and that the difficult experience motivated her to work in politics.  She tells her mother about the conversation in a text.

 

May 2020 conversation  Bennett spoke with Cuomo about a speech she was giving at her alma mater, Hamilton College, regarding sexual assault.  While providing her feedback, Bennett says Cuomo pointed at her and kept repeating, you were raped, you were raped.  He also told her that he wanted to find a lady and drive off on his motorcycle into the mountains with her.

June 5 and 6, 2020  Bennett says Cuomo said (1) he was “lonely” and “wanted to be touched”; (2) asking her whether she had been with older men; (3) that he would be willing to date someone who was as young as 22 years old (he knew Ms. Bennett was 25 at the time); (4) asking whether Ms. Bennett was monogamous; (5) telling Ms. Bennett, after she told him that she was considering getting a tattoo for her birthday, that if she decided to get a tattoo, she should get it on her butt, where it could not be seen; and (6) asking whether she had any piercings other than her ears.

Bennett testified that she understood her June 5 conversations with Cuomo to mean that he was propositioning her for sex.  Bennett no longer wanted to be in a role that required her to work with him.

On June 10, 2020, Bennett reported Cuomo’s conduct to Jill DeRosiers, the governor’s chief of staff, and was transferred to work in the health policy team.

On June 30, 2020, Bennett had a follow-up conversation with DeRosiers and special counsel Judith Mogul.  Bennett said she did not want an investigation and that she still considered Cuomo a friend.

A month later, Bennett went on medical leave and quit her job and on December 8, 2020 she contacted Lindsey Boylan on Twitter.

The AG’s assessment was, “We found the level of detail and consistency in Ms. Bennett’s account, her demeanor, and the circumstances of her allegations to be credible.”

What nobody told you    Charlotte Bennett was accused in a 2017 federal lawsuit of having filed a false claim of “non-consensual sexual contact” against a fellow student at Hamilton College.

The lawsuit used pseudonyms for the students and Bennett is referred to as “Sally Smith”, but is identifiable due to a reference to a newspaper opinion she’d written.

Evidence proved she fabricated the allegations, and she withdrew her complaint immediately after the College removed John Doe from Campus and denied him graduation. The victim of the false allegations sued the college for the mishandling and failed investigation, and Hamilton College agreed to an undisclosed settlement in 2018.

Like the college, the AG never investigated the Hamilton lawsuit in connection with this case and never mentioned it.  How can anyone be considered credible without reviewing a previous false allegation.