The lawyer representing Andrew Cuomo in his sexual harassment defense has finally spoken out, expressing her outrage after an awkward public moment between her and Cuomo went viral. The incident in question occurred when Rita Glavin was caught grimacing as Cuomo, her client, pulled her into a face-grabbing embrace and planted a kiss on her cheek. This happened during a bustling election night party following his defeat in the New York City mayoral race.

The images from that night rapidly spread across the internet, amassing millions of views. They were shared by a New York Times photographer and one of Cuomo’s accusers, adding fuel to the ongoing legal and public relations fire surrounding the former governor.

When contacted by the Daily Mail on Wednesday, Glavin, who has been a steadfast legal advocate for Cuomo, did not hold back her frustration when questioned about both the photos and the accuser who distributed them.

Cuomo’s spokesperson later attempted to smooth over the heated exchange, acknowledging the tension with the reporter. “We got a little animated with your reporter before, and I feel like I do owe him a bit of an apology,” the spokesperson admitted, in a gesture to calm the situation.

‘We got a little animated with your reporter before, and I feel like I do owe him a bit of an apology,’ Cuomo’s spokesman said in a follow-up call.   

He also attempted to explain away the reason Glavin looked uncomfortable in the photo, saying she had the ‘anguished look on her face’ because she was about to ‘get mauled by a sea of people.’

‘After [Cuomo’s] speech the other night, he came down and there was a roving mosh pit of reporters and supporters trying to reach him, and it was messy,’ the spokesman said.

‘Security got separated from him, and people were getting pushed in and out — and Rita’s look on her face… she [feared she] was about to get pushed down, and the governor steadied her and then they talked for a minute and then he kissed her on the cheek.’

This was another one of the pictures that drew attention on X. Glavin and a Cuomo campaign spokesperson flew into a rage when the Daily Mail asked about it

Photos of the kiss drew attention because Glavin has been Cuomo’s defense attorney against claims of sexual harassment brought forth by 13 women since 2021, which he has denied

The photo was widely circulated online in recent days after being shared by the first of several women to come forward with allegations in 2021 that ultimately led to Cuomo’s ouster from the governor’s mansion.

Lindsey Boylan posted the photos to X in two separate tweets that criticized Glavin for receiving millions of dollars in taxpayer funds that went to Cuomo’s legal defense. 

Glavin reportedly received $5.68 million of taxpayers’ money to defend Cuomo, according to New York Focus. There is no suggestion of wrongdoing for the legal fees or the election night photo. 

Cuomo’s longtime spokesman said the framing of the photo was ‘ridiculous, cheap and stupid’, adding that it wasn’t a fair characterization of Glavin.

‘Lindsey Boylan, who started this nonsense, is mad at Rita because she got deposed by her last month in the only remaining lawsuit,’ he said.

In 2021, Cuomo resigned from his role as governor after nearly 11 years when several women began levelling accusations of wrongdoing against him during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.  

He vehemently denied the accusations, but said he would step down so that the state government could focus on dealing with the pandemic rather than grappling with the impeachment he would have faced. 

In 2021, Cuomo resigned from his role as governor in light of the first 11 accusations against him

The first woman to come out against Cuomo was Lindsey Boylan. She alleged that Cuomo kissed her without warning in 2018 and asked her to play strip poker prior to that; he denied the claims

Kristen Clarke, the assistant attorney general in the agency’s civil rights division, said in a statement at the time: ‘The conduct in the Executive Chamber under the former governor, the state’s most powerful elected official, was especially egregious because of the stark power differential involved and the victims’ lack of avenues to report and redress harassment.’

The first woman to come out against Cuomo was Boylan. She alleged that Cuomo kissed her without warning in 2018 and asked her to play strip poker prior to that. He denied any wrongdoing. 

On November 7, Boylan posted one of the pictures of Cuomo kissing Glavin to X following the crushing election defeat to Zohran Mamdani in the race for New York mayor. 

When Glavin and Azzopardi were informed – in between their aggressive shouts – that the Daily Mail reached out to Boylan for comment, they became even more enraged. 

Boylan told the Daily Mail: ‘Rita Glavin can call me all the names she wants.’