With Ninth Accuser, Andrew Cuomo Vaults Past the Al Franken Standard of Sexual Harassment

You may have missed that a ninth woman accused New York governor Andrew Cuomo of sexual harassment, claiming the governor kissed her “in what I felt was highly sexual manner,” while visiting her home to assess flood damage in 2017.

Cuomo is now one accuser beyond the Franken Standard, with nine. You may recall that under the Franken Standard, set by former Minnesota senator Al Franken, the first seven cases of groping and kissing, groping breasts, grabbing women’s behinds, assorted grabbing and squeezing and uninivted “wet, open-mouthed kisses” are free, but the eighth infraction is considered serious enough to warrant resignation, albeit with subsequent media coverage that suggested the senator was the victim of an unfair rush to judgment.

Cuomo has nine accusations of unwanted kissing, groping, inappropriate comments, invitations to strip poker, and personal questions about sex lives from former aides, a member of the Executive Chamber staff, a wedding reception guest, a current aide, and a former reporter in Albany.