BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — There’s been a lot of talk about the possibility of Andrew Cuomo making a return to politics.
It’s not clear whether he’s looking to come back as Governor, or another previous role he served in, New York State Attorney General. It could be a different job altogether.
But again, no campaign has officially been announced.
Still, there’s a new commercial hitting TV screens, and it’s up on Cuomo’s website. Paid for “by friends of Andrew Cuomo,” the 30-second clip shares a number of news segments that seem to assert various complaints against the former governor have been dismissed, challenged or poorly presented. It’s titled “Politics vs. the Law.”
Included is an infographic from CBS News showing that five district attorneys in the state have declined to press criminal charges against Cuomo.
It ends with a short, on-screen message that says “Political attacks won. And New Yorkers lost a proven leader.”
Andrew Cuomo left office in August. He announced his resignation following the results of Attorney General Letitia James’ investigation into him, which she says substantiated numerous sexual harassment complaints.
“The report said I sexually harassed 11 women: That was the headline people heard and saw and reacted to,” Cuomo said. “The reaction was outrage, as it should have been. However, it was also false.”
In response to the new TV spot, a spokesperson for the Attorney General’s Office says “The only thing Andrew Cuomo has proven himself to be is a serial sexual harasser and a threat to women in the workplace – no TV ad can change that. It’s shameful that after multiple investigations found Cuomo’s victims to be credible, he continues to attack their accounts rather than take responsibility for his own actions.”
The former governor says some of his actions were not received as he intended.
“I thought a hug, or putting my arm around a staffer while taking a picture, but some found it to be too friendly. I kissed a woman on the cheek at a wedding and I thought it to be nice, but she found it to be too aggressive. Women found it dated and offensive. I said on national TV to a woman, to a doctor wearing PPE, and giving me a nasal swab, I said ‘you make that gown look good.’ I was joking, obviously. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have said it on national TV. But she found it disrespectful and I take full responsibility for my actions.”
Cuomo’s attorney, Rita Glavin has called the Attorney General’s report “materially misleading,” “flawed” and “unreliable.”
“The report prejudiced the governor, overturned the election, and disenfranchised 3.6 million votes,” Glavin said. “It has to be corrected.”
MORE | Find all of our coverage of the Cuomo investigation here.
In a recent interview, Cuomo revealed that he’s not ruling out another run for office, and says he feels “vindicated.”
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