A second ex-employee of powerful New York state Governor Andrew Cuomo has accused him of sexual harassment, charges the governor denied on Saturday.

This time the allegations came from 25-year-old former health adviser Charlotte Bennett, who told The New York Times that the governor sexually harassed her in the spring of 2020.

According to Ms Bennett, the 63-year-old politician said in June that he was open to dating women in their 20s, and asked her if she thought age made a difference in romantic relationships, the Times reported.

While Mr Cuomo never tried to touch her, “I understood that the governor wanted to sleep with me, and felt horribly uncomfortable and scared,” Ms Bennett told the paper.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo speaks during a news conference at a vaccination site in the Brooklyn borough of New York, on February 22, 2021. (Photo by Seth Wenig / POOL / AFP) (Photo by SETH WENIG/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

She added that she spoke to Mr Cuomo’s chief of staff and legal counsel, who transferred her to another post in another building. Ms Bennett was happy with the new job and decided not to insist on an investigation.

Mr Cuomo became a national star last spring with his straight-talking yet empathetic coronavirus briefings that contrasted sharply with then-president Donald Trump’s dismissive approach to the pandemic.

But the harassment allegations come as he faces a growing storm over his handling of the coronavirus in nursing homes in his state.

In a statement Saturday, Mr Cuomo said he “never made advances toward Ms Bennett nor did I ever intend to act in any way that was inappropriate.”

© 2021 Getty Images NEW YORK, NEW YORK – FEBRUARY 24: People wait in line to sign up for their vaccination appointment at the York College coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccination site on February 24, 2021 in the Jamaica neighborhood of Queens borough in New York City. On February 19, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced the opening of two State-FEMA community-based sites for the coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine in Brooklyn and Queens and encouraged eligible individuals to get vaccinated. The sites, which will operate between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. daily, have the capacity to administer 3,000 doses per day. (Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

He said he wanted instead to support Ms Bennett, who had told him that she was a sexual assault survivor.

The governor, whose third term expires at the end of 2022, called for “a full and thorough outside review” of these charges, led by a former federal judge.

“I ask all New Yorkers to await the findings of the review so that they know the facts before making any judgments,” he added.

This is the second time in a week that the Democratic governor, who has led New York state for 10 years, has been accused of sexual harassment.

© Thomson Reuters U.S. President Joe Biden delivers remarks virtually to the National Governors Association Winter Meeting as New York Governor Andrew Cuomo is seen participating remotely at the White House in Washington, U.S., February 25, 2021. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

On Wednesday, another ex-adviser, Lindsey Boylan, said in a blog that he had harassed her when she was working for his administration, from 2015 to 2018.

Ms Boylan, 36, alleged that the governor had given her an unsolicited kiss on the lips, suggested that she play strip poker with him and went “out of his way to touch me on my lower back, arms and legs”.

“For those wondering what it’s like to work for the Cuomo admin, read @LindseyBoylan’s story,” Ms Bennett wrote in a re-tweet of Ms Boylan’s post.

Mr Cuomo’s office said in a statement that Ms Boylan’s “claims of inappropriate behaviour are quite simply false”.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio on Thursday joined a growing chorus of politicians calling for an investigation into the allegations made against Mr Cuomo.

Source: Telegraph.co.uk