Who is Beth Cefalu? Video of Andrew Cuomo asking reporter to 'eat whole sausage' at state fair resurfaces
Just a few years after the #MeToo movement put a blazing light on the entrenched pattern of sexual misconduct by men in powerful positions, Cuomo is facing sexual harassment allegations from two female former aides who described an unsettling power dynamic in his office to which they are determined to call attention to. The latest video has come to light now, where the three-time Governor can be seen asking reporter Beth Cefalu to "eat the whole sausage" at the state fair.
The video shows the Democratic governor at the 2016 New York State Fair, challenging journalist Beth Cefalu to eat an entire Gianelli sausage sandwich. "I want to see you eat the whole sausage," Cuomo can be heard telling Cefalu, as his daughter Michaela sits quietly next to him. A now-former aide to Cuomo is seen handing Cefalu a sandwich. "I don’t know if I should eat the whole sausage in front of you, but I’m definitely going to eat it," Cefalu responds. Cuomo then invites Cefalu to sit at his table. Before eating, Cefalu snaps a selfie with the governor while holding up her food. "There’s too much sausage in that picture," Cuomo says, prompting laughter from others at the table.
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just thinking back to that time NY Governor Andrew Cuomo hounded a local news reporter to "eat the whole sausage" pic.twitter.com/EyNxFavOyG
— Matt Binder (@MattBinder) February 28, 2021
Who is Beth Cefalu?
Beth Cefalu is an award-winning reporter for News 12 Westchester. She has previously worked with the WSYR NewsChannel 9 in Syracuse, NY. She joined the Channel 9 news team in April 2014. She began her career as a bureau reporter in Iron Mountain, Michigan with WLUCTV6 and after a year, she was relocated to the main station as a general assignment reporter, anchor and producer in Negaunee.
Beth was named Reporter of the Year by the Michigan Association of Broadcasters. In 2014, she received the Good News Award for a feature on a girl with a very rare disease. Beth is a Graduate from the College of Staten Island with a BA, double minor and the Alpha Kappa Delta International Honor Society. She also earned a Certificate in Broadcast Journalism from New York Film Academy. Beth started her career while doing internships at MTV Networks, Inside Edition and Fox News Channel.
Sexual abuse allegations on Cuomo
Cuomo was accused on Saturday, February 27, by a second former female aide of sexual harassment. The ex-aide, Charlotte Bennett, 25, told the New York Times that she was repeatedly made to feel uncomfortable by Cuomo after she was hired in 2019 in the governor's office. Bennett claimed that the governor asked “questions about her sex life, whether she was monogamous in her relationships and if she had ever had sex with older men”.
She further added that Cuomo complained to her about being lonely during the pandemic, stating that he “can’t even hug anyone”, before turning the focus to Bennett. He allegedly asked her who she had last hugged. Bennett said she had tried to avoid the question by responding that she missed hugging her parents. “And he was, like, ‘No, I mean like really hugged somebody?’” she said.
The sexual harassment accusations were the second in one week against the three-term governor, who was first elected in 2010. On February 24, former aide Lindsey Boylan wrote a post on the site Medium that Cuomo sexually harassed her during her two-year stint working in state government. Boylan wrote, in part: "Andrew Cuomo abused his power as Governor to sexually harass me, just as he had done with so many other women."
In a statement released amid mounting criticism from within his own party, Cuomo maintained he had never inappropriately touched or propositioned anyone. But he said he had teased people and made jokes about their personal lives in an attempt to be "playful."
"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. 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," he said.