It was a tumultuous weekend with a second accuser coming out against Governor Andrew Cuomo.

Charlotte Bennett is now the second former state aide to accuse Governor Cuomo of sexual harassment and making inappropriate comments while she was at work.

On Monday, a third woman came forward accusing the governor of inappropriate behavior.

Soon after these new allegations came to light, Governor Cuomo tried twice to appoint two different judges he has close ties with, to investigate these accusations.

These proposals were both immediately shot down, with most lawmakers and Attorney General Letitia James calling for an independent investigation with subpoena power.

However, the way the law is written in New York, the governor has to give the attorney general permission to open this investigation.

“It’s a very bizarre thing in our state that the chief law enforcement officer in some respects is less empowered than a local district attorney,” Senator Todd Kaminsky explained.

Senator Kaminsky, who is also a former federal prosecutor, is introducing legislation that would allow the attorney general to independently pursue investigations without first receiving the permission of the governor.

“The cynical part in me thinks it is not a coincidence that Albany has not wanted to give the attorney general this type of power over so many decades and I think it is time we revisit that,” Kaminsky said. “But certainly in a case like this, it doesn’t make sense to have the person who might be investigated making decisions about whether there should be a referral or not.”

Assemblywoman Carrie Woerner, and almost every single one of her Democratic female colleagues in the Assembly, were also calling for an independent investigation over the weekend into these sexual harassment allegations against Cuomo.

“Until the men in our society stop trying to exercise power and control through sexual harassment and begin to treat every woman they encounter with respect, we are going to continue to have this problem,” Assemblywoman Woerner said. “And that it has shown up in the highest levels of government is really troubling.”

Sexual harassment allegations are nothing new in Albany, and this pervasive behavior was brought up during the gubernatorial debate in 2018, by then Republican candidate Marc Molinaro.

“Albany is a cesspool of bad behavior, and when I’m governor there are going to be more than just hearings, we’re going to enforce the law so men don’t prey on women,” Molinaro said in 2018.

“You’re about fairytales,” Cuomo said at the time.

The governor has denied these recent sexual harassment allegations, but did offer an apology Sunday night, saying sometimes he “is playful and makes jokes.”

Molinaro says this is not an apology and believes the governor should resign while he is being investigated.

“I don’t see how one would conclude that there was no wrong doing or inappropriate action,” Molinaro said. “I think that that is clear it occurred. He should not remain in office and he certainly should not be running for re-election.”

Bennett also did not accept the governor’s apology, saying in a statement, “The Governor has refused to acknowledge or take responsibility for his predatory behavior. As we know, abusers – particularly those with tremendous amounts of power – are often repeat offenders who engage in manipulative tactics to diminish allegations, blame victims, deny wrongdoing and escape consequences."