Andrew Cuomo sees a political future for himself. But when he talks, it’s all about the past.
He lashes out at prosecutors, bemoans fellow Democrats and still seethes at some of the women who accused him of inappropriate and unwanted touching and sexually charged comments. He sometimes draws parallels to Donald Trump, the former president even more consumed with perceived grievances.
Now, the exiled New York Democrat is using millions of dollars in taxpayer money in a legal fight to sow doubt about the sexual harassment allegations that led to his resignation more than two years ago.
“A rush to judgment doesn’t even do it right,” the former three-term governor said in a rare interview. “This was spontaneous combustion.”
Cuomo is going to extreme lengths to cast himself as the victim, employing what one judge called a “scorched earth” tactic to get information about an alleged college sexual assault case involving one of the women.
And just like Trump, he grouses about the prosecutors who’ve come for him over the years. They abused the law and weaponized the legal system, he insists. “You don’t play politics with justice,” he said.
Some women allegedly victimized by Cuomo contend they are tormented by his legal tactics and having to retell their stories, along with the cost of hiring attorneys. They and their lawyers are largely refraining from talking publicly about his strategy amid the lawsuits and subpoenas — which taxpayers are funding to the tune of $20 million because he won a case to have the state pay his legal bills.
“Cuomo’s misuse of the legal system as part of his revenge campaign has put a tremendous emotional and financial burden on his victims,” Danya Perry and Julie Gerchik, attorneys for Lindsey Boylan, one of the women who has accused Cuomo of inappropriate behavior, said in a statement.
“Not only does this retraumatize the women who were courageous enough to come forward, but it will certainly have a chilling effect on those who consider speaking up about sexual harassment and abuse in the future.”
Cuomo did not face criminal prosecution after five district attorneys investigated the various allegations of 11 women contained in a state report that led to his downfall in 2021, which included the claim he groped a former aide at the governor’s mansion in 2020.
The former governor has denied assaulting or sexually harassing anyone and says the report unfairly inflated the number of accusers. He notes that some of the women say they didn’t view the alleged episodes as harassment and says he’s never been told who one of the women is.
A political future?
As he battles the claims in civil court, the 65-year-old isn’t ruling out another run for public office, and he has tried to remain relevant with a weekly podcast and speeches at Black churches, where he’s warmly received.
He often continues to dress the part: a dark suit, crisp white shirt and silver cufflinks with the number 56, as the state’s 56th governor, engraved on them.
“Do I believe I could run for political office again? Yes. I think I have a lot of options, and there are a lot of issues I’m working on now that I care about,” he said. “I haven’t ruled any in; I haven’t ruled any out.”
A comeback could be complicated by Cuomo himself — by his own rumination over what led to his resignation and determination to rewrite the past, including scandals around his handling of the Covid-19 pandemic for which he initially received national acclaim that fueled talk of a presidential bid.
Cuomo’s continued ax-grinding is a mistake, according to a half dozen Democrats who have spoken with the former governor.
“There is a path, but I think he’s struggling with what goes on day to day,” former Democratic Gov. David Paterson said in an interview. “You see an article about yourself and fly into a rage.”
Paterson had lunch with Cuomo earlier this year and was struck by how his successor continued to replay the game tape of his downfall. Paterson’s advice to Cuomo? Lay low.
“He said he’s restless,” Paterson said. “He wants to do something.”
For Cuomo’s critics, the tactics in his legal fights are a reminder of how he can often resort to intimidation.
“He knows how to turn something that is harmless into a weapon, into a dangerous lie, in order to protect his own ass,” said Karen Hinton, a former aide to Cuomo in the 1990s when he was the U.S. Housing secretary who had a falling out with him. “He’s always known how to do it since I’ve known him and continues to do it. If anything, he’s better at it than he was 25 years ago when I worked for him.”
Hinton worked for a Cuomo rival, Democrat Bill de Blasio, when he was mayor of New York City. She has accused Cuomo of making sexually explicit jokes and an unwanted advance, which he has denied.
His efforts to undermine the allegations leveled against him are keeping with a darker side of his personality, she said.
“It’s old-style Andrew, and it’s come back with a fury,” Hinton added.
Cuomo still retains a segment of his political base from when he was in office: older, working class, Black voters who have made up the backbone of the state’s Democratic Party.
“The basis of my faith that I preach is redemption,” said the Rev. Al Cockfield, whose Brooklyn church Cuomo has frequented. “Whether you believe or not — believe everybody should have the opportunity to fulfill their God-given gift.”
Many voters could hunger for a muscular chief executive as the state faces mounting challenges from an influx of migrants and ongoing concerns over public safety, some Cuomo allies said. A new Siena College poll this week found most voters disapprove of Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul’s handling of both issues.
Cuomo quietly carries influence among a wide political circle that he cultivated over 40 years in politics, which started as a young man working with his late father, Mario, the three-term governor from 1983 through 1994. He maintains a trusty relationship, in particular, with New York City Mayor Eric Adams, a fellow Democrat.
“There is a segment of the electorate that still likes Andrew Cuomo, where he’s very popular,” said Basil Smikle, who was executive director of the state Democratic committee under Cuomo. “A moderate message that he promoted while he was governor still resonates.”
A second, post-scandal life for politicians can happen.
The push that ousted Al Franken from a U.S. Senate seat led to some remorse among Democrats that they acted too quickly. Former New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer, a Democrat, came close to winning a race for New York City comptroller after he resigned amid a prostitution scandal in 2008.
