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Andrew Cuomo announced Saturday he’s running for NYC Mayor. I was a political reporter who covered Cuomo daily during COVID in New York and closely followed the scandals that led to his resignation from the state's top job.
Here are 10 things to remember about Cuomo’s downfall as New York Governor while he tries to make a political comeback:
1.) He was forced to resign- Cuomo resigned from office after losing all support from Democratic Party leadership due to mounting scandals in August 2021.
2.) 13 women accused Cuomo of sexual harassment- This scandal was the last straw for Cuomo which led to the Democratic Party turning on him and was the catalyst for his resignation.
3.) Top Dems abandoned him- Cuomo lost key support from Democratic power players New York Senators Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand shortly before a mass exodus of staffers including his right hand top aide Melissa DeRosa with whom he was rumored to be having a romantic affair.
4.) Nursing home deaths- Another major scandal, Cuomo also faced intense public scrutiny for mishandling nursing home policy during COVID. A state report found he lied about the number of elderly people who died by undercounting the death toll by as much as much as 50%.
5.) More than 15,000 seniors died- Cuomo’s administration implemented a policy that forced infected seniors back into nursing homes after they left the hospital with COVID, which is believed to have fueled the spread of the illness at the height of the pandemic in 2020. To this day there are lingering questions about why this policy was implemented. Was it pressure from the hospital lobby? Cuomo's top aide at the time, Melissa DeRosa, has ties to the hospital lobby (her dad is a top Albany lobbyist who reps hospitals). Or was it massive oversight while the administration was scrambling to manage the crisis? While we may never know the real reason, this was a deadly policy decision made under Cuomo's watch.
6.) Multiple young staffers reported him- The first women to level accusations of sexual harassment against Cuomo were Lindsey Boylan (a former aide) and Charlotte Bennett (Cuomo’s executive assistant during COVID).
7.) "Unwanted sexual advances"- Charlotte Bennett accuses Cuomo of unwanted sexual advances at work. She says Cuomo asked her if she would have sex with an older man, telling her he was “lonely” and on the hunt for a girlfriend. Bennett ultimately lost her job after reporting Cuomo to staffers (she was moved into a different role).
8.) "Let's play strip poker"- Lindsey Boylan accuses Cuomo of asking her to play a game of strip poker aboard a taxpayer funded private plane. She says Cuomo also tried to kiss her on the cheek.
9.) Alleged groping in the Governor's mansion- Brittany Commisso (Cuomo aide) brought arguably the most egregious case against Cuomo. She accuses Cuomo of groping her breast while in the governor's Executive Mansion. A misdemeanor charge was brought against Cuomo in Albany County, which was ultimately dropped.
10) No real accountability- A major effort to impeach Cuomo was suspended once Cuomo resigned in 2021. Impeachment would have prevented Cuomo from running again for public office. Cuomo has denied all allegations of wrongdoing in the sexual harassment scandal blaming cancel culture, misunderstandings and political motives of the alleged victims. In September 2024, he fiercely defended his nursing home decisions in front of Congress. He has never taken responsibility or apologized for the policy decisions and inaccurate death toll reporting related to the scandal.
Follow Anne on Twitter for more independent political reporting.
