Disgraced former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo made his first public appearance in six months Sunday, casting himself as a victim of “cancel culture” in a speech to a Black church, The New York Times reports.
Cuomo spoke at Brooklyn’s God’s Battalion of Prayer Church to about 100 congregants.
“God isn’t done with me yet,” he said, hinting at a potential comeback. “I have many options in life and I’m open to all of them.”
Cuomo spent much of the speech relitigating the sexual harassment scandal that led to his downfall, using the term “cancel culture” more than a dozen times.
“Twitter and newspaper headlines have replaced judge and jury,” he bemoaned.
Cuomo framed his treatment of his accusers as the result of changing norms, saying he may have been “old-fashioned and out of touch.”
“I’ve learned a powerful lesson, and I paid a very high price for learning that lesson,” he said.
Political comeback?:
Cuomo did not suggest that he plans to run for office but the speech came days after he launched a six-figure ad buy to claim he was vindicated in his many scandals.
There has been speculation that Cuomo may run against New York Attorney General Letitia James, who released a report detailing the many sexual harassment and misconduct complaints against Cuomo.
But a recent poll from Siena College found that 80% of New Yorkers support his decision to step down.
“The whole issue was not going to be determined by whether or not the actions were deemed criminal,” Jay Jacobs, the chairman of the New York State Democratic Committee, told the Times. “They went against what we would consider appropriate behavior for our highest elected official in the state. That’s why I think that ultimately he made the right choice in stepping down.”
James hits back:
James issued a strongly-worded statement hitting out at Cuomo in response to his speech.
“Serial sexual harasser Andrew Cuomo won’t even spare a house of worship from his lies,” she said in a statement.
“Even though multiple independent investigations found his victims to be credible, Cuomo continues to blame everyone but himself,” she said. “Cuomo wasn’t railroaded; he quit so he wouldn’t be impeached. New Yorkers are ready to move forward from this sick, pathetic man.”
