Cuomo, in Defiant Farewell Address, says the truth is still out

[ad_1]

In his last speech on his last day in office, New York Governor Andrew M. Cuomo said on Monday that intense political pressure and a media frenzy had sparked a rush for judgment over the sexual harassment allegations made against him. , ultimately leading to his resignation.

Mr Cuomo, a third-term Democrat, adopted a defiant tone in his closing remarks, which he used to continue to question the fairness of a state attorney general report that he had sexually harassed 11 women, including government employees.

Mr Cuomo likened the report to a firecracker that sparked a stampede, adding that there will be another moment to speak to the truth and ethics of the recent situation involving me.

The truth is, in the end, always revealed, he said. The attorney general’s report was designed to be a political firecracker on an explosive subject, and it worked. There was a political and media scramble.

The farewell speech, which was pre-recorded, aired on the last day of his tenure after the abrupt end of a ten-year term. This came nearly two weeks after he announced his resignation following the attorney general’s report, which surfaced and corroborated the allegations of sexual harassment.

Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul will be sworn in as governor at 12:01 a.m. Tuesday, becoming the first woman to hold the highest office in the state.

Mr. Cuomo, a third-term Democrat, had been mostly out of sight since announcing his intention to step down on August 10. He filed his retirement papers with the state, signed a handful of bills, and was busy moving his assets out of the Executive Mansion in Albany.

But in the past few days, Mr Cuomo has reappeared in person, holding two briefings on the storm and asking his personal lawyer, Rita Glavin, to conduct a 22-minute virtual presentation on Friday designed to push back the report of the storm. Attorney General. . Ms Glavin also sought to cast doubt on the accounts of many women who accused the governor of inappropriate behavior.

Over the weekend, Mr. Cuomo took on his preferred role of crisis manager one last time, hosting two virtual briefings in New York City to discuss the state’s preparations for Tropical Storm Henry. The briefings filled with PowerPoint slides, pointed questions from the press and mentions of tough New York City, the motto Mr. Cuomo popularized during the pandemic was reminiscent of the coronavirus briefings that catapulted Mr. Cuomo to national fame before. his disappearance.

On Monday, Melissa DeRosa, the governor’s senior assistant, released a statement aimed at quelling speculation about Mr Cuomo’s future and the possibility of him running for governor again next year. Ms DeRosa announced her intention to resign two days before Mr Cuomo, and his resignation is also effective at midnight.

He looks forward to spending time with his family and has plenty of fishing to catch up on, Ms. DeRosa said. He explores a number of options, but has no interest in representing himself.

Mr. Cuomo leaves office with a massive $ 18 million campaign war chest, by far the best of any politician in the state. It is still unclear where Mr. Cuomo, who does not own a property, will live after leaving the Executive Mansion, which is a few blocks from the State Capitol.

A relative said he had considered renting a house in Westchester County, where he once lived and where his sister Maria Cuomo lives. Indeed, on Friday, moving trucks transported boxes from the Governor’s mansion in Albany to her sisters’ home in Westchester.

His Monday public schedule only indicated that Mr. Cuomo was in the New York area.

[ad_2]