The fall of Andrew Cuomo
| EDITOR'S NOTE
Hello,
Andrew Cuomo's political career is falling apart.
Such a notion would have been unthinkable just last summer. As then-President Trump oversaw a chaotic federal response to Covid-19 and treated the disease with personal indifference, the Democratic governor of New York became the face of America's resistance to the pandemic.
He projected competence and authority, appearing as a man of action before cameras just about every day. He won an Emmy for his televised briefings. In October, while the coronavirus continued to spread, he published "American Crisis: Leadership Lessons from the Covid-19 Pandemic." It was a New York Times bestseller.
Maybe, some political observers speculated, Joe Biden would pick Cuomo to be the U.S. attorney general. Or perhaps Cuomo would run for the White House himself in a few years.
Then, scandal.
The Cuomo administration went into damage control several weeks ago when it was revealed that a top aide to the governor apologized to Democrats for witholding data about nursing home Covid deaths. The U.S. Justice Department is investigating the matter, and the Cuomo administration hired a criminal defense attorney to represent it in the probe.
New York lawmakers started to call for Cuomo to be held accountable. Several sought to strip him of his emergency powers. This in turn led to another scandal, as Assemblyman Ron Kim, a Democrat, accused Cuomo of threatening him. "You will be destroyed," Cuomo allegedly told Kim. The governor's office called the lawmaker a liar.
It then got even worse. As Cuomo contends with his crumbling reputation, several accusations of sexual harassment surfaced. One former aide, Lindsey Boylan, said Cuomo forced a kiss on her. His office denied this.
The administration, however, did not push back so hard against the claims of another former aide, Charlotte Bennett, who said the governor asked her several personal questions, including ones about her sex life. Indeed, Cuomo's office, after pressure from his fellow Democrats, agreed to an independent investigation into the claims, overseen by the New York attorney general.
A third accuser soon came forward. Last night, The New York Times published the account of Anna Ruch, who said Cuomo tried to kiss her without her consent at a wedding in 2019. The report included a photo of Cuomo placing his hands on Ruch's face.
Is it over for Cuomo? It's starting to look that way. The White House and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi have spoke in favor of the independent investigation. Some Democrats are calling on Cuomo to resign. His financial backers, who have helped him raise a multi-million-dollar war chest for his run for reelection next year, have put their efforts on hold as the sexual harassment scandal unfolds.
Whatever happens, it's clear: Andrew Cuomo is "America's governor" no more.
Thoughts? Email Politics Editor Mike Calia at CNBCPolitics@nbcuni.com.
Have friends or colleagues who might like this newsletter? They can sign up here.
Subscribe to CNBC's daily new podcast The News with Shepard Smith, which provides deep, non-partisan coverage and perspective on the day's most important stories.
KEY STORIES
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Post a Comment