Andrew Cuomo addresses sexual harassment accusations by saying his 'playful banter' was 'misinterpreted' by accusers

This is a classic non-apology

Democratic New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo finally addressed the sexual harassment accusations against him by two women. The governor denied the allegations by his two accusers, and defended himself by saying, "Some of the things I have said have been misinterpreted as an unwanted flirtation."

"I never intended to offend anyone or cause any harm," the statement released on Sunday evening read.

"At work sometimes I think I am being playful and make jokes that I think are funny," Cuomo said. "I do, on occasion, tease people in what I think is a good natured way."

"I have teased people about their personal lives, their relationships, about getting married or not getting married," he continued. "I mean no offense and only attempt to add some levity and banter to what is a very serious business."

This could be a reference to the allegations by his second accuser, 25-year-old Charlotte Bennett, who claims that Cuomo asked her if she was romantically involved with someone and if she was monogamous during her relationships.

Cuomo, 63, said he had intended to be a mentor for Bennett.

"I now understand that my interactions may have been insensitive or too personal and that some of my comments, given my position, made others feel in ways I never intended," Cuomo stated.

He then gave an apology to anyone who "misinterpreted" him, "I acknowledge some of the things I have said have been misinterpreted as an unwanted flirtation. To the extent anyone felt that way, I am truly sorry about that."

Cuomo said he "never inappropriately touched anybody" and "never propositioned anybody." He added, "I never intended to make anyone feel uncomfortable."

Bennett told the New York Times, "He also asked me in the same conversation if I had ever been with an older man."

During a discussion about tattoos, Cuomo allegedly suggested that Bennett get the ink on her buttocks so people couldn't see the tattoo if she wore a dress.

Lindsey Boylan, the first woman to accuse Cuomo of sexual harassment, alleged that the governor kissed her on the lips without consent, touched her legs, joked about playing strip poker, and the harassment went on for years.

"These are allegations that New Yorkers deserve answers to," Cuomo said on Sunday. "That's why I have asked for an outside, independent review that looks at these allegations."

Last week, Cuomo hand-picked former U.S. District Judge Barbara Jones to carry out the independent investigation into the allegations, but backtracked on Sunday after blowback. Jones was a former law partner to one of Cuomo's closest advisors, Steve Cohen, which could be seen as a conflict of interest.

https://www.theblaze.com/news/andrew-cuomo-sexual-harassment-statement

TRUMP: ‘We Have A Very Sick Electoral Process’, Supreme Court ‘Didn’t Have The Guts Or Courage’ To Save Election Integrity

"We have a very sick and corrupt electoral process that must be fixed immediately," launched President Trump. "This election was rigged."

President Donald Trump spoke extensively about the future of the Republican Party and the need for election integrity, saying that the 2020 election was “rigged” and that the election system in America is “very sick and corrupt.”

“We have a very sick and corrupt electoral process that must be fixed immediately,” launched President Trump. “This election was rigged, and the Supreme Court and other courts didn’t want to do anything about it.”

“If you just take that one element, where they didn’t go through legislatures, it’s illegal, you can’t do it. It’s in the Constitution,” said President Trump, after noting that in virtually every battleground state, Democrat or establishment Republican governors worked with judges to change election law without the approval or input from the state legislatures, a clear violation of the U.S. Constitution.

https://nationalfile.com/trump-we-have-a-very-sick-electoral-process-supreme-court-didnt-have-the-guts-or-courage-to-save-election-integrity/

Marcus Mauling: Head Of Goldman's Consumer Bank Leaving For Walmart

Back in 2015, when Goldman stunned Wall Street with the taxpayer-backed hedge fund's decision to roll out a consumer-facing commercial bank - Marcus - which offered "high yield" deposit accounts (of 1.25%) and consumer loans, at least Goldman had rising rates to fall back on: after all that was a period when Janet Yellen had decided that it was time to shrink the Fed's balance sheet and proceed with hiking rates, waking the infamous "ghost of 1937" (and culminating with the minicrash of 2018, and eventually the biggest liquidity injection of all time in March 2020).

In any case, rising rates made it easier to sell a consumer-facing commercial bank to Goldman investors. Yes, the revenue stream would be limited (after all Goldman would have to steal market share from such established banks as JPM, BofA, Citi and Wells), but if rates rose enough the Net Interest Margin would provide for a generally risk-free source of income.

All that ended last March when the Fed made it clear that ZIRP would be with us for years, and instead of an asset, any net interest margin exposure became a liability (especially when accounting for a potential surge in bad loans once the forebearance moratorium ends), and suddenly Goldman's Marcus doesn't look like such a hot idea.

It also explains why Bloomberg reports this morning that Omer Ismail, the head of Goldman’s consumer bank, has made a "surprise exit" and is headed for WalMart as the retail giant muscles into the banking business.

The world’s largest retailer made a splash last month after disclosing plans to offer financial services with an independent venture in a tie-up with investment firm Ribbit Capital without offering much detail. And now, it has sent shockwaves with the decision to poach Goldman's top consumer bankers: in addition to Ismail, Bloomberg reports that Walmart is also hiring David Stark, one of his top lieutenants at Goldman, who will join him in the new venture.

Walmart’s move, which deprives a top Wall Street firm of the talent atop its own foray into online banking, "underscores the seriousness of the retailer’s intent to intertwine itself in the financial lives of its customers."

The audacious poaching punctuates years of warnings by bank leaders that their industry faces tough new challengers, after regulators smoothed the way for corporate giants and Silicon Valley to expand into payments and other services

Ismail is credited as one of the key architects behind Goldman’s push into Main Street, seeing through the growth of Marcus into a billion-dollar business in five years. But, as noted above, in a time of ZIRP (and perhaps NIRP), the allure of a fintech commercial bank rollout has faded.

https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/marcus-mauling-head-goldmans-consumer-bank-leaving-walmart

Mass Shooting Kills 11 Construction Workers in Western Mexico

A shooting in western Mexico killed 11 victims and injured at least two more, including a child. The incident appears to have been unprovoked since most of the victims were construction tradesmen lined up for paychecks.

The shooting took place Saturday night in Tonala, Jalisco, when gunmen fired at a group of men sitting in the street, the Jalisco Attorney General’s Office revealed. Most of the victims were sitting on the sidewalk around a work truck when gunmen in two vehicles pulled up and opened fire.

Authorities later found the bodies of 10 men at the immediate scene. A nearby home also held one more fatal victim and two wounded (a woman and an underage male). The victims inside the home are described as a family unit struck by stray bullets.

A motive for the mass shooting has not been officially revealed.

The shooting is the fourth mass casualty attack in Jalisco in February, El Universal notes. The violence in the western state comes as Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generacion wages turf wars throughout Mexico. The criminal organization is linked to hundreds of corpses found in clandestine mass graves in that state.

Authorities recently discovered 18 trash bags full of human remains near the soccer stadium when one of the country’s main teams regularly hosts matches.

https://www.breitbart.com/border/2021/02/28/mass-shooting-kills-11-construction-workers-in-western-mexico/

>>13074926

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