Teflon Andrew?

To the editor:

Two damning examples why Andrew Cuomo is unfit to hold public office are the sexual harassment and nursing home scandals. These should have been career-ending for the former governor, who in 2021 resigned rather than face impeachment by the State Legislature and a trial in the State Senate. 

Four years later this toxic politician is running for mayor.  He claims to be the only candidate who can save the city from chaos and poor management. It will be up to the small percentage of eligible voters in the Democratic primary to save the rest of us from Andrew Cuomo.

Eleven women, nine of whom were current or former state employees, accused the former governor of inappropriate sexual behavior. There were not only suggestive comments, but also for seven of the women, the touching of their bodies without consent. 

Attorney General Letitia James carried out a five-month investigation. In a subsequent 165-page report, 179 witnesses were interviewed and tens of thousands of documents reviewed. It corroborated the claims of all 11 women, finding that Cuomo “engaged in conduct constituting sexual harassment under federal and New York State law.” 

He engaged “in unwelcome and non-consensual touching … [and made] numerous offensive comments of a suggestive and sexual nature that created a hostile work environment for women.” The executive chamber was a “culture of fear and intimidation.” In 2024, President Biden’s Justice Department corroborated the AG’s report, adding complaints by two female victims.

Andrew Cuomo’s response has been to say that he “never touched anyone inappropriately or made inappropriate sexual advances.”  He called the report “politically motivated.” The actual “victim,” Cuomo said, was none other than himself.

Howard Elterman