By now, most everyone knows that Cuomo is the Hannibal Lecter of serial sexual predators. In a damning 165-page report by the state attorney general, the governor is exposed in sickening detail as a man who sexually preyed on nearly a dozen women, forcing himself on them with “unwanted groping, fondling, kissing, and hugging.” Like Lecter, he consumed victim after victim to satiate his unquenchable desires.
The name Cuomo is now synonymous with the word “creep.” But anyone who has paid attention to his notorious career and insufferable behavior knew it long ago. He’s infamous in Washington and Albany for being an arrogant ass. Bereft of friends, he has operated like a mafia don by ruling through intimidation, fear, and threats. Nobody likes him. They never have. Bullies don’t have friends.
So, it’s no wonder that the cacophony of calls for his head is deafening. Everyone has run for the exits and deserted him. But that’s not likely to motivate Cuomo to resign. It’s not in his DNA to do the right thing. That would require a conscience. He’s never had one. Narcissists don’t.
Cuomo once boasted to his brother Fredo (aka Chris Cuomo) on CNN, “I am the Luv Gov.” He then added, “I am a cool dude in a loose mood.” This was followed by the cringey statement, “I’m single and ready to mingle.” While Fredo was lapping it up and egging him on, viewers must have been running for the barf bucket. It’s just one of the many reasons why CNN’s ratings have tanked.
Propped up on air by his pompous sibling, the elder Cuomo thought he could spread his unrequited love to any young thing that passed his way. Without consent, he grabbed women’s butts, massaged their breasts, and squeezed and lip-locked women who were repulsed by his hyper-sexualized behavior. You can read it for yourself. Every nauseating account is described meticulously in the A-G’s report.
No honest person believes Cuomo’s vapid denials. Not even dishonest people are buying his I’m-the-real-victim BS. Why? Because bullies always lie. And Cuomo is a prodigious liar. He’s elevated it to an art form. He lied about his nursing home order that killed thousands of elderly patients. Then he lied about the number of deaths in those care facilities. He memorialized his lies in a book that’s filled with them. And then he lied about how the book was written and edited while he pocketed a cool $5 million in one of the greatest rip-offs of all time.
Maybe it will be a good thing if Randy Andy doesn’t throw in the towel and quit. Just as sunshine is the best disinfectant, perhaps an impeachment trial is precisely what the doctor ordered. The proceedings would further expose Cuomo’s penchant for sexual harassment, assault, and retaliation. Not that further humiliation and condemnation would ever humble a sexist pig whose ego is as big as all outdoors.
Impeachment would also expose those in Cuomo’s inner circle who acted as his enablers and protectors, setting up encounters where the predator-in-chief could victimize women. People like Melissa DeRossa, who’s as mean as a junkyard dog, is identified 187 times in the scathing report. It says she tried to bury the sexual harassment allegations against her boss and even helped leak an accuser’s personnel file in a vindictive effort to discredit her. It was classic retaliation, which is against the law.
But let’s not forget about CNN’s favorite blowhard, Chris Cuomo. He, too, is identified in the report as the leading force behind his big bro’s lies. While pretending to be a journalist, he secretly strategized with his brother on how to blame (and defame) the victims. Little bro contributed to the “toxic harassment culture” that was allowed to “florish”, according to the report. CNN has taken no action against him…which is no real surprise. The network’s powerful executive vice president, Allison Gollust (the number 2 person in CNN’s hierarchy), used to work for Andrew Cuomo. How very cozy.
So, let’s have all of this put on full display in an upcoming impeachment trial. Why allow the Cuomo clan to evade public scrutiny of their sordid acts?
And while we’re at it, prosecutors should be eyeballing criminal charges against the governor. Within the first 24 hours after the report became public, four district attorneys in Albany, Nassau, Westchester, and Manhattan announced criminal investigations of Cuomo. The grounds for charges are contained in the attorney general’s report –forcible touching (unwanted fondling and groping of sexual and private parts), sexual assault and battery, and criminal harassment.
The four D-As have made formal requests for all of the evidence gathered by the A-G. They will use that to build their own cases should they decide to pursue it. They absolutely should.
Separately, there is a federal investigation into whether Cuomo “cooked the books” and lied about the number of nursing home deaths in order to avoid or deter a Justice Department probe into his actions. The law is quite clear: attempting to prevent a government investigation constitutes obstruction of justice.
And finally, there is another investigation into Cuomo’s lucrative book deal and whether he used government workers to write and edit his book. Converting government resources for personal financial gain is a crime. It’s called corruption. On the street it’s called theft.
And let’s not forget Cuomo’s civil liability. All eleven accusers could use the incriminating evidence collected by the A-G to bring lawsuits for money damages against Cuomo for sexual harassment, retaliation, and a hostile work environment. These are the very laws that the attorney general concluded that Cuomo egregiously violated.
Joining us now to talk about the Cuomo scandals is Candice Jackson. She served as a top official in the Office of Civil Rights in the U.S. Department of Education and was the Office’s Acting Assistant Secretary. Our audience may remember her as the attorney for Kathy Shelton, who was a victim of sexual assault, and her attacker was defended by Hillary Clinton. She is also the author of “Their Lives: The Women Targeted by the Clinton Machine.”
