Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo who resigned from office just over six months ago amid multiple allegations of sexual harassment made his first public appearance at a close ally’s church in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, on Sunday.
And in his first public appearance since resigning last year, Cuomo whined about his explosive scandal to about 150 congregants at God’s Battalion of Prayer in East Flatbush, calling it “probably the toughest time of my life.”
He said “As you probably know, I’ve gone through a difficult period the past few months. I resigned as governor, the press roasted me, my colleagues were ridiculed, my brother was fired, It was ugly.”
After Andrew Cuomo resigned in August, his brother Chris Cuomo was also fired by CNN in connection to Andrew Cuomo’s alleged accusations.
“It was probably the toughest time of my life, and it was probably the first time that I was glad my father wasn’t here with us anymore, so he didn’t have to see,” he added, referring to his late father and former three-term governor of New York, Mario Cuomo.
Cuomo also groused incessantly about “cancel culture as he used the word “cancel” no fewer than 25 times during his whole speech.
“My father, God rest his soul, used to say the government is an honorable profession but that politics can be a dirty business. Now that is especially true today when the politics out there is so mean and so extreme when even the Democratic Party chooses to cancel people that they have a disagreement with.”
He also added “My behavior has been the same for 40 years in public life. … But that was actually the problem. Because for some people, especially younger people, there’s a new sensitivity. No one ever told me I made them feel uncomfortable. I never sensed that I caused anyone discomfort. I was trying to do the exact opposite.”
Andrew Cuomo is claiming he’s a victim of cancel culture during a Brooklyn speech right now, after he chose to resign last summer following the results of a report that found he sexually harassed multiple women & 4 DAs independently substantiated the credibility of those claims. pic.twitter.com/pFhxybJLEB
— Bernadette Hogan (@bern_hogan) March 6, 2022
The only thing @andrewcuomo should be doing in a church is asking for forgiveness. https://t.co/uz71VbtTYL
— Janice Dean (@JaniceDean) March 6, 2022
He added:
“But I’ve been called old-fashioned, out-of-touch, and I’ve been told my behavior was not politically correct or appropriate. I accept that. Social norms evolve and they evolve quickly. But I didn’t appreciate how fast their perspective changed. And I should have.”
He also noted that he’s “truly, truly sorry” and that he “learned a powerful lesson.”
He explained:
“Contrary to what my political opponents would have you believe, nothing I did violated the law or the regulations. I said from the start that I would defend any allegation that anyone wanted to bring, but the political sharks in Albany smelled blood. And then the sharks smell blood, then come. And they exploited the situation for their political purpose.”
THE CUOMO* BIG LIE
“They used cancel culture to effectively overturn an election … what happened to voting rights and democratic elections.” Cuomo says at Brooklyn church
*Cuomo willingly resigned to avoid impeachment re:sexual misconduct/nursing home coverup/self-enrichment pic.twitter.com/fPCbxqPib4
— Zach Williams (@ZachReports) March 6, 2022
Later in the speech, Cuomo, who stepped down from office amid the threat of impeachment, complained, “They used cancel culture to effectively overturn an election,” referring to his 2018 election victory.
Bloomberg also reported that Cuomo noted that the action against him was prosecutorial misconduct.
New York State Attorney General Letitia James who pushed and led the investigation against Cuomo’s conduct pushed back on the comments.
Jamses’ campaign said in a statement, the Post reported:
“Serial sexual harasser Andrew Cuomo won’t even spare a house of worship from his lies. Even though multiple independent investigations found his victims to be credible, Cuomo continues to blame everyone but himself. Cuomo wasn’t railroaded; he quit so he wouldn’t be impeached. New Yorkers are ready to move forward from this sick, pathetic man.”
The co-founder of the Sexual Harassment Working Group, Erica Vladimer also responded to Cuomo’s statement.
“Cancel culture is a term people who don’t believe in accountability use to advance their own narrative. It’s an insult to those who truly see Sunday as a day of worship that he’d stand up in a church and continue spewing manipulative lies, instead of taking responsibility for the harm he caused and atoning for those sins.”
Sources: Western Journal, New York Post, News 10, The New York Times, Politico,