Gov. Andrew Cuomo Calls Behavior 'Unwanted Flirtation' |

Gov. Andrew Cuomo has said that some of his past interactions with staff could have been misinterpreted as "unwanted flirtation."

The Governor of New York announced Sunday he would cooperate with a sexual harassment investigation in a press release.

Cuomo said he "never intended to offend anyone or cause any harm."

This comes after one of Cuomo's aides told The New York Times that Cuomo had asked inappropriate questions about her sex life, including if she ever had sex with older men. Another former aide also said Cuomo had subjected her to an unwanted kiss and appropriate comments about her appearance.

Cuomo said he was "being playful" and meant no offense.

Cuomo announced he asked for an outside, independent review to look into the allegations, which White House press secretary Jen Psaki said President Biden supports.

A group of more than a dozen Democratic women in the state Assembly said in a statement that independent review is inadequate. "The Governor’s proposal to appoint someone who is not independently elected, has no subpoena authority, and no prosecutorial authority is inadequate," the statement read.

New York's two U.S. senators, Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, both said an independent investigation was essential.

“These allegations are serious and deeply concerning. As requested by Attorney General James, the matter should be referred to her office so that she can conduct a transparent, independent and thorough investigation with subpoena power,” Gillibrand said.

Cuomo asked Attorney General Letitia James to jointly appoint a lawyer to investigate the claims and issue a public report.

James did not accept the governor's proposal. “The state’s Executive Law clearly gives my office the authority to investigate this matter once the governor provides a referral. While I have deep respect for Chief Judge DiFiore, I am the duly elected attorney general and it is my responsibility to carry out this task, per Executive Law. The governor must provide this referral so an independent investigation with subpoena power can be conducted," James said.