‘I just want the abuse to stop’

The former aide who sparked the sexual harassment scandal now engulfing Gov. Andrew Cuomo says in a new interview, “I just want the abuse to stop” — and that reading the account of another accuser “made me feel nauseous.”

In the interview, published Thursday by Harper’s Bazaar, Lindsey Boylan — now a Democratic candidate for Manhattan borough president — also took aim at fellow Democrats who try to protect pols accused of misconduct so they can further the liberal agenda.

“That’s not my Democratic Party, and it angers me when I hear that,” she said.

“That’s not why I decided to be in this field. That’s not what I’m about.”

Boylan added: “My family consisted predominantly of women who had a lot of generational trauma. I came into this space, because I wanted to do something about the bad things that I saw, either within my family or growing up. You can’t fix the things in your past, but you can change that for other people.”

The interview was apparently conducted before Cuomo held a Wednesday news conference in which he offered qualified apologies for his behavior, but after he issued a Saturday statement saying that he makes “jokes” at work and that “some of the things I have said have been misinterpreted as an unwanted flirtation.”

Asked to respond to that statement, Boylan said, “I just want the abuse to stop. I’m really not focused on punishment. I’m focused on accountability.”

“And I think we’re seeing somewhat the way the governor (and his administration) operates, the way that they are, and it’s being seen in real time. And I think that’s really unfortunate, but probably necessary,” she added.

Boylan, 36, said she’s “never interacted with Anna [Ruch],” 33, who in a report Monday accused Cuomo, 63, of grabbing her face and kissing her during a wedding reception in Manhattan in 2019.

But Boylan said “it made me feel nauseous as I read her account,” adding: “I feel a tremendous amount of love for her and want to protect her in any way that I can.”

Boylan said she has “interacted with Charlotte [Bennett],” 25, another former aide who’s accused Cuomo, 63, of sexual harassment.

“I’m in awe of how she’s handled herself,” Boylan said.

“There is a tremendous amount of love and connectivity that I feel for others who have had these kinds of experiences.”

Cuomo’s office didn’t immediately return a request for comment.