Avi Small, the press secretary to Gov. Kathy Hochul of New York, is being investigated after another aide accused him of inappropriate touching.
Avi Small, the press secretary to Gov. Kathy Hochul of New York, is being investigated after another aide accused him of inappropriate touching.
Avi Small, the press secretary to Gov. Kathy Hochul of New York, is being investigated after another aide accused him of inappropriate touching.
Gov. Kathy Hochul of New York has suspended her press secretary while her office investigates an allegation that he inappropriately touched another male staffer, according to two people familiar with the matter.
The press secretary, Avi Small, joined Ms. Hochul’s office soon after she was elevated to governor in 2021 following Andrew M. Cuomo’s resignation amid a sexual harassment scandal. Since then, Mr. Small has become one of Ms. Hochul’s most trusted aides and is often by her side in the State Capitol and at events across New York.
The alleged incident took place on the day of an all-staff retreat on June 16 in Albany that included a softball game, the people said. It is unclear exactly where the misconduct is alleged to have occurred.
From Day 1, Ms. Hochul promised to run an office free from the sort of toxicity and misconduct that multiple investigations found Mr. Cuomo had fostered with his behavior. He continues to deny the allegations.
“Governor Hochul has zero tolerance for misconduct by any New York State employee, and has instituted the strongest workplace protections and training policies in state history,” said Anthony Hogrebe, a spokesman for the governor. “While we cannot comment on an open investigation, as soon as a complaint was brought to the chamber, the employee in question was placed on leave.”
Mr. Small declined to comment.
He was not informed of the nature of the complaint when he was put on leave last week, according to someone familiar with the process.