A former aide to New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, Lindsey Boylan, offered up details on Wednesday of pervasive sexual harassment and uninvited advances during her time in the administration.

Boylan, in an essay published on the blogging website Medium, recounted revelations first made public in December that the governor’s staff had turned a blind eye to a toxic work environment.

Beginning in 2016, Boylan described Cuomo as giving her a lot of attention, to the point that she was told the governor had a “crush” on her. That same year, Stephanie Benton at the governor’s office relayed in an email that Boylan bore a striking resemblance to Lisa Shields, a rumored former girlfriend of the governor.

“We could be sisters” Boylan relayed the email as stating, though she was “the better looking” of the two. Later, Boylan, who is married and the mother of a young girl, described how she complained to friends that Cuomo would go “out of his way” to touch her lower back, arms and legs.

Boylan went on to describe a litany of inappropriate comments and actions, from references she felt were similar to the Bill Clinton-Monica Lewinsky scandal to an offhand suggestion of playing strip poker during a flight in October 2017.

“We were in his New York City office on Third Avenue,” she described another advance. “As I got up to leave and walk toward an open door, he stepped in front of me and kissed me on the lips.”

Elise Stefanik, a fierce critic of the governor and a Republican member of the House of Representatives, called on Cuomo to step down over the allegations.

“Sexual harassment and sexual abuse in the workplace is not a political issue, it is about right and wrong,” she said in a statement. “Governor Cuomo must immediately resign.”

Stefanik in early February called on the state attorney general and the Department of Justice to prosecute Cuomo over revelations that a mandate from his administration allowed for the release of more than 9,000 coronavirus patients into state nursing homes early last year.

On Boylan’s claims, Cuomo refuted the allegations when they first came to light in December.

“Look, I fought for and I believe a woman has a right to come forward and express her opinion, and express issues and concerns that she has,” he was quoted by NBC as saying. “But it’s just not true.”

Boylan ran in the 2020 primary as a Democrat against U.S. Rep. Jerrold Nadler. She’s currently running for the presidency of the Manhattan borough in New York City.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, pictured here at a press conference March 27, 2020
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo's top aide, Melissa DeRosa, has resigned. AFP / Bryan R. Smith
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