NEW YORK (AP) – Just six months after resigning in disgrace over sexual harassment allegations, former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo appeared to hint at a political comeback in a speech at a Brooklyn church. Sunday.
The Democrat made a similar campaign stop at a Brooklyn church on Sunday, giving a speech in which he condemned the “cancellation of culture.” The public appearance, his first since leaving office, came as Cuomo’s campaign launched a digital and television ad campaign pushing a similar message: He was unfairly ousted from office.
Cuomo quoted the Bible several times as he described his ordeal, then went on the offensive to attack “political sharks” in Albany who, he said, “smell blood” and exploited the situation for political gain.
“The actions against me were prosecutorial misconduct,” Cuomo said, repeating a theme he has pushed from the beginning. “They used the culture of cancellation to effectively overturn an election.”
The Democrat resigned in August, days after an independent investigation found he had sexually harassed nearly a dozen women and that he and his aides worked to retaliate against an accuser. On Sunday, Cuomo acknowledged that his behavior was inappropriate, but quickly added that nothing he did broke the law.
“I didn’t appreciate how quickly the perspectives changed,” he said. “I learned a powerful lesson and I paid a very high price to learn that lesson. God is not done with me yet.”
Cuomo has not said he is running for office, but is still sitting on a multimillion-dollar campaign war chest that he could use to fund another run.
Several district attorneys in New York said they found Cuomo’s accusers “credible,” but said the available evidence was not strong enough to bring criminal charges against him. Last month, a New York state trooper sued her alleging he caused her severe mental anguish and emotional distress by touching her inappropriately and making suggestive comments. A Cuomo spokesman called the lawsuit a “cheap extortion.”
Cuomo used his platform Sunday primarily to decry a climate fueled by social media that he said is growing and dangerous.
“Each charge can result in conviction without facts or due process,” he said. “We are a nation of laws, not a nation of tweets. Woe to us if we allow it to become our new justice system.”
Returning several times to a biblical metaphor of crossing a bridge to describe his journey, Cuomo hinted that he won’t shy away from the spotlight.
“The Bible teaches perseverance, it teaches us to get off the mat,” he said. “It breaks my heart, but it doesn’t break my soul. I want to take the energy that could have made me bitter and make us better.”
By DAVID PORTERAssociated Press
