A respected body language expert claims Andrew Cuomo was riven with anxiety during his pre-recorded speech denying sex pest claims - but also praised his 'masterful' delivery.
Patti Wood said Cuomo's tilted head - which is pulled back and up to his right side for the entirety of the video's 14-and-a-half minutes - is a telltale sign that he is 'suppressing his anger'.
'He continues to suppress it and suppress it', Wood added, which could be an indication of innocence or guilt.
Wood added that the governor's repeated lip compressions and tongue 'cleanses,' where he swept it around his mouth, indicate an overall tension and nervousness.
The author and veteran body language analyst even added that if she were isolated those tics would have made her say: 'Oh, that's a tell,' indicating that he was lying.
Cuomo started his statement by letting viewers know that 'the facts are much different than what has been portrayed'.
Body language expert Patti Wood said that the governor's repeated lip compressions indicated an overall tension and nervousness
Wood said Cuomo's tilted head - which is pulled back and up to his right side for the entirety of the video's 14-and-a-half minutes - is a telltale sign that he is 'suppressing his anger'
Wood noted the lip compression, small tongue thrust and glare that happened as Cuomo said: 'I never touched anyone inappropriately or made inappropriately sexual advances.' Wood did not think this indicated guilt, 'just that he is suppressing how angry he is what has been portrayed'
He was referring to the New York Attorney General's findings, which saw investigators say they believed the allegations of 11 separate women who accused the three-term Empire State governor of inappropriate behavior.
Wood noted the lip compression, small tongue thrust and glare that happened as he said the line. 'This does not indicate guilt just that he is suppressing how angry he is what has been portrayed,' Wood added.
Cuomo then said: 'I never touched anyone inappropriately or made inappropriately sexual advances.'
Again, he again pressed his lips together and did a tongue cleanse showing his repeated suppression of anger.
Wood can tell just how uncomfortable the governor is with his statement.
He went on to defend himself against former employee Charlotte Bennett's sexual harassment claim and said: 'I am the governor of New York.'
Body language expert Patti Wood has shared her thoughts on Andrew Cuomo's defense against sexual harassment allegations
Wood, who wrote a self-help book on body language called Snap, said the line indicated Cuomo was actually uncertain about his status.
'From this statement I can say he's very confident he has done nothing wrong, but he is not so sure how it is going to affect his job,' Wood said.
'He didn't leave his hands alone. He was restraining himself. That could have been coached, or that could have been him,' she added.
As Cuomo neared the end of his statement he touched on other topics and was able to relax. He even smiled when talking about New York's successful Covid efforts when they 'went from the highest infection rate in the country to one of the lowest infection rates in the country'.
He also spoke on the double-standard between male managers, who are rewarded for working long hours, and female managers, who are criticized for being tough.
'I know how much time was spent on that,' Wood said. She says she thinks the way Cuomo delivered his statement could actually boost his chances of hanging onto his career.
Wood believed that Cuomo's statement showed that 'he wants to go on from here. I think this will help his career.'
According to Wood the 63-year-old governor 'did a masterful job of staying calm and going slowly' as he filmed the well-crafted statement.
'He was very very prepared but that didn't stop him from coming across as natural and relaxed at points.'
Defiant Cuomo REFUSES to step down as he rubbishes AG's 'biased' sex pest report and publishes his 'truth' online: Says he's 'never touched anyone inappropriately' because his family member is a sexual abuse 'survivor'
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo refused to resign on Tuesday and is contesting a damning report from AG Letitia James which found he did sexually harass 11 women, claiming it omits facts and is a political attack on him despite growing calls to step down and the increasing likelihood of impeachment.
James released her long-awaited report into the allegations against embattled Cuomo on Tuesday morning. It says he sexually harassed 11 women including some whose allegations were not previously known, like two state troopers and an executive assistant who says he groped her breast at the Governor's mansion in Albany in November 2020.
James said all of the allegations are corroborated but she has not recommended any criminal charges against him, saying the scope of her work didn't include prosecution.
There has since been an onslaught of calls for him to resign afterwards on both sides of the aisle, including from New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio who went as far as to call for him to be impeached.
There has been no comment from the White House, despite President Biden saying in March that Cuomo should resign and be arrested if the report substantiates the women's allegations.
In his address, Cuomo he said he is a 'warm' person who sometimes 'slips' and calls women who work for him 'sweetheart and darling', but insisting he has never been predatory or physical in his interactions with staffers.
His attorney has also released an 85-page rebuttal to the report which she says she will continue to update.
'Even on a quick first review, it is clear that the report purposefully omits key evidence,' said Cuomo's attorney Rita M. Glavin.
In his televised address, Cuomo used a slideshow of images of him hugging and kissing people throughout his life to demonstrate what he described as an affectionate and tactile personality, that he says the women have confused for a sexual predator.
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Cuomo, who has always denied the allegations, gave a televised address an hour after James' report was released during which he denied all of the claims and called the report a political attack on his character. He says he welcomed the 'opportunity' for a 'full and fair review' of the facts
The 168-report was released on Tuesday after a five month investigation by the NY AG. It substantiated the allegations of 11 women who say Cuomo sexually harassed them either by groping them or making inappropriate comments dating back to 2013
New York Attorney General Letitia James announcing her findings on Tuesday after a five month investigation. She said she believes all of the women but she cannot bring criminal charges, instead saying her focus was on determining if the allegations were true
'This has been a long and painful period for me and my family as others feed stories to the press. I never touched anyone inappropriately. The facts are much different to what has been portrayed.
'I am 63 years old. I have lived my entire adult life in public service. That is just not who I am or who I ever have been,' he said.
He went on: 'Trial by newspaper and biased reviews are not the way to find the facts. I welcome the opportunity for a full and fair review before a judge and jury because this just did not happen.'
'It is beyond clear that Andrew Cuomo is not fit to hold office and can no longer serve as Governor. 'He must resign, and if he continues to resist and attack the investigators who did their jobs, he should be impeached immediately,
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio
President Biden - who said in March that Cuomo should resign if the report finds the allegations true - is yet to comment but while speaking with Latino leaders in the State Dining Room of the White House said: 'I’m going to be speaking on COVID at 4 o’clock and will take questions on COVID and other issues after that.'
He had been asked if Cuomo should resign.
In his rebuttal, Cuomo said he'd never sexually harass anyone, much less a sexual assault survivor like Charlotte Bennett - one of the accusers - claiming he has helped a female relative overcome sexual abuse himself.
He said that the women invariably misinterpreted his 'warm' gestures like hugs and kisses, or misunderstood compliments.
After he spoke, critics renewed calls for him to resign and some suggested he should be impeached.
'My first thoughts are with the women who were subject to this abhorrent behavior, and their bravery in stepping forward to share their stories.
'The Attorney General’s detailed and thorough report substantiates many disturbing instances of severe misconduct. Andrew Cuomo committed sexual assault and sexual harassment, and intimidated a whistleblower.
'It is disqualifying.
'It is beyond clear that Andrew Cuomo is not fit to hold office and can no longer serve as Governor.
'He must resign, and if he continues to resist and attack the investigators who did their jobs, he should be impeached immediately,' NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio said in a statement.
New York Senate Minority and Majority Leaders both called for him to resign.
'The Attorney General’s report clearly and concisely documents that Governor Cuomo engaged in disturbing and unacceptable behavior.
'Andrew Cuomo lacks the integrity required to be the leader of our state and can no longer serve as New York’s Governor.
'He must heed the calls of so many New York leaders and resign,' Senate Minority Leader Michael Gianaris said.
Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart Cousins said: 'This report highlights unacceptable behavior Cuomo and his administration. The Governor must resign for the good of the state.
'Now that the investigation is complete, and the allegations have been substantiated, it should be clear to everyone that he can no longer serve as Governor.'
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) released a joint statement calling for Cuomo's resignation.
'As we have said before, the reported actions of the Governor were profoundly disturbing, inappropriate and completely unacceptable. Today’s report from the New York State Attorney General substantiated and corroborated the allegations of the brave women who came forward to share their stories -- and we commend the women for doing so.
'The New York State Attorney General has conducted an independent, thorough and professional investigation that found the Governor violated state and federal law, had a pattern of sexually harassing current and former employees, retaliated against at least one of the accusers and created a hostile work environment.
'No elected official is above the law. The people of New York deserve better leadership in the governor’s office. We continue to believe that the Governor should resign.'
The 168-page report by James' office finds that Cuomo fostered a 'toxic work environment' where women were punished for reporting their allegations. It says that instead of dealing with the complaints properly, the women were simply moved out of his orbit, into different departments.
The report cites 'relevant laws' as Employer Liability and Executive Chamber Policy. The Governor, who has always denied the allegations, is yet to respond to the report's findings.
Among the allegations which the report says are true is that he sexually harassed a state trooper by running his 'finger from her neck down her spine' while they were sharing an elevator and saying 'hey you'.
He is also said to have rubbed a state employee's stomach, ran his finger across the chest of another woman, and engaged in 'widespread pattern' of subjecting women to 'unwanted hugs'.
The report concludes: 'The Governor sexually harassed a number of State employees through unwelcome and unwanted touching, as well as by making numerous offensive and sexually suggestive comments.
'We find that such conduct was part of a pattern of behavior that extended to his interactions with others outside of State government.'
Non-consensual touching, repeatedly made comments of a sexualized, gender based nature. Cuomo was grilled for 11 hours as part of the investigation.
During questioning, the report says he 'did not dispute that he sometimes commented on staff members’ appearance and attire (although generally only to compliment), and stated that, being “old fashioned,”.
He said he uses terms like 'honey', 'sweetheart' and 'darling' and that he regularly gave women hugs and kisses - sometimes on the lips.
BOMBSHELL REPORT TEXTS, INSTAGRAM SELFIES AND EMAILS REVEAL CUOMO ASKED AIDES TO LEARN SONG LYRICS TO 'DANNY BOY', SANG TO CHARLOTTE BENNETT DOWN THE PHONE AND SAID HE WOULDN'T DATE CHELSEA HANDLER 'BECAUSE SHE'S NUTS'
Charlotte Bennett, in an Instagram story selfie, said the Governor had challenged her to a 'push-up competition'
Appendices to NY AG Letitia James' report reveal a trove of text messages, selfies and emails between accusers which helped investigators reach their finding that he sexually harassed 11 women.
Those include text messages between Charlotte Bennett and another aide, and conversations she had with her parents where she had she had
