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'That wasn't an apology': Claire McCaskill torches Andrew Cuomo over sexual harassment explanation
(William B. Plowman/NBC/NBC Newswire/NBCUniversal via Getty Images)/(Jeenah Moon/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

'That wasn't an apology': Claire McCaskill torches Andrew Cuomo over sexual harassment explanation

The former senator blasted her fellow Democrat for saying his alleged advances were 'misinterpreted'

Former Missouri Sen. Claire McCaskill is not buying fellow Democrat New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo's explanation for the wave of sexual harassment claims brought against him in recent days, saying of his statement on the allegations: "That wasn't an apology."

What are the details?

After two former staffers came forward in recent weeks accusing the scandal-plagued governor of unwanted advances, Cuomo issued a written statement saying, in part, "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."

McCaskill, now a contributor on MSNBC, referenced that statement during an appearance on "Morning Joe" when asked about the scandal Wednesday.

According to The Daily Caller's dictation, the former prosecutor replied, "Let me just say some obvious truths here: This is the Governor of New York who had a young — a woman young enough to be his daughter in his office. The two of them alone. And he asked her if she had sex with older men. And then he had the nerve to say he was apologizing if his comments had been misinterpreted as flirtation."

"Well, I got news for you," McCaskill continued. "If you have a position of power over a young woman, a very young woman compared to your age, and you ask her if she has sex with older men, you ought to be man enough to say you did something terribly wrong. Not 'I'm sorry if it was misinterpreted.'"

"It's infuriating," McCaskill went on to say. "That wasn't an apology. That was a rationalization. So, you know, just everybody out there, if you are old enough to be a woman's daughter and you're her boss, don't ask her if she likes to have sex with older [men]. It's not complicated."

The full segment can be viewed below. McCaskill's comments begin around the 3:25 mark:

Probe Into Gov. Cuomo Claims Is Expected To Be Wide-Ranging | Morning Joe | MSNBCwww.youtube.com

Anything else?

Cuomo addressed the allegations again during a Wednesday news conference, days after a third woman went public accusing him of unwanted advances — including touching her bare lower back while she was wearing a formal gown at a wedding and then asked to kiss her but she declined.

Reacting to the multiple claims, the governor said, "I never knew at the time that I was making anyone feel uncomfortable. I never, ever meant to offend anyone or hurt anyone or cause anyone pain. I feel terrible that these people felt uncomfortable, felt hurt, felt pain from the interactions, and I'm embarrassed by it, and I feel bad about it."

According to Fox News, "the accusers rejected his latest attempt at an apology."

The governor said Wednesday that he would not resign, despite calls for him to do so.

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