Remember What Cuomo Did to Cynthia Nixon
By Dan Murphy
A few weeks ago, a Westchester elected democrat guessed that Governor Andrew Cuomo, in the middle of the nursing home scandal, “would not be able to run for a fourth term.” Those words ring true more than ever after two women have come forward with allegations of sexual harassment against the Governor, while the nursing home scandal has now reached the U.S. Attorney’s office in Brooklyn, who is investigating.
Two former aides have now accused Cuomo of sexual harassment. Lindsey Boylan came forward with the allegations last year but received little or no media coverage. Last week, Boylan renewed her claim with details, including an essay of Medium which detailed his actions—kissing on the lips without warning—and a proposition on a plane back to Albany with Cuomo—”Let’s Play Strip Poker.”
One person who read Boylan’s story was Charlotte Bennett, who tweeted that people should read the Medium story if they wanted a true picture “of what it was like to work for the Cuomo administration.” A reporter for the NY Times, read Bennett’s support of Boylan and reached out. Bennett, 25, went on the record, for a NY Times feature story detailing the allegations against Cuomo, 62.
Bennett told NY Times reporter -Jesse Mckinley, that on June 5, 2020, she was alone with Cuomo in Albany when he asked her whether age was a factor in a relationship, and added that he was open to a relationship with a women in her 20’s. Bennett said that while Cuomo never touched her, “I understood that the governor wanted to sleep with me, and felt horribly uncomfortable and scared,” Bennett told the Times. “And was wondering how I was going to get out of it and assumed it was the end of my job.”
Since the Times story, “the knives have come out for Cuomo,” as Washington Post reporter Dave Weigel said on CNN’s reliable sources, adding that “nobody is rallying to Cuomo’s side,” while dozens of reporters have now been placed on assignment to search for more possible accusers.
The willingness of the mainstream media in New York to pick up the story has greatly changed since Boylan first made the allegations last year. Monroe County Legislator Rachel Barnhart wrote, “I covered Cuomo for years as a reporter. It was clear to me he was part of a toxic and corrupt Albany culture. The creation of the sham Women’s Equality Party to cynically court women voters, the disbanding of the Moreland Commission, stalling on FOIL requests, failed economic development policy, pay-to-play, cronyism, the formation of the IDC, the weak ethics state commission, the lack of progress on so many issues. Cuomo also worked closely with Sheldon Silver, who covered up sexual harassment in his chamber for years. I was equally frustrated with elected officials who pretended not to see.
“In interviewed Zephyr Teachout when she ran against Cuomo in 2014 and fell in love with her willingness to take on corruption. I became the Press Secretary for Stephanie Miner, who ran an independent campaign for governor against Cuomo in 2018. I voted for Cynthia Nixon in the 2018 primary. I remain in awe of these women, who were not afraid to challenge the most powerful man in the state — and they certainly paid a price. They were belittled, threatened, ignored and crushed at the ballot box.
“The fact is, the Albany press corps did aggressively cover Cuomo throughout his tenure. The legislature did not care. To some degree, the public did not care. A lot has changed in the past year: new state lawmakers, a devastating and deadly pandemic, and women who say the governor sexually harassed them in the workplace. I’m confident the legislature will make sure there is an independent investigation. I believe his days are finally numbered,” said Barnhart.
Washington Post reporter Karen tulmulty wrote that Cuomo’s Survival in Office Looks Doubtful. “Her accusations (Bennett) are corroborated by texts and by others, including her mother, who say she told them about her interactions with the governor shortly after they happened. ..The governor, who until all of this began unraveling was seen as one of his party’s top presidential prospects for 2024, is up for reelection next year and may seek to move past all of this by declaring he will not run again. But I doubt that will be enough.”
Cuomo tried to calm the waters by “asking all New Yorkers to await the findings of the review so that they know the facts before making any judgements. I will have no further comment until the review has concluded.”
But Cuomo’s investigation into himself, to be conducted by a former federal judge, Barbara Jones, was immediately rejected by a number of NY democrats who wanted an independent investigation. “The accused CANNOT appoint the investigator. PERIOD,” tweeted Long Island democratic Congresswoman. Kathleen Rice. “The continued allegations are deeply disturbing and concerning. The behavior described has no place in the workplace. A truly independent investigation must begin immediately.”
Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins and Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, both Democrats, called for an independent investigator. Asked if Jones’ review is “truly independent,” Mike Murphy, a spokesman for Stewart-Cousins, a Democrat, said, “No it is not, and it should be done by the attorney general’s office.”
Cuomo’s fate now lies in the hands of Majority Leader Stewart-Cousins and NY State Chief Judge Janet Difiore. DiFiore, the former Westchester District Attorney, was named, along with NY Attorney General Tish James, as the independent persons to conduct the investigation.
In addition to Stewart-Cousins and DiFiore, Andrew Cuomo’s fate rests with Democratic State Senators who represent Westchester, including Senator Shelley Mayer and Senator Alessandra Biaggi. “The female democratic leaders in NY will determine whether Cuomo the politican will survive,” said one Westchester democratic leader.
Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez tweeted “Lindsey Boylan and Charlotte Bennett’s detailed accounts of sexual harassment by Gov. Cuomo are extremely serious and painful to read. There must be an independent investigation — not one led by an individual selected by the Governor, but by the office of the Attorney General.”
Dave Wiegel also pointed out that “before COVID, Cuomo had two primary challenges from the left.” In 2014 Zephyr Teachout challenged Cuomo in a democratic primary and in 2018 actress Cynthia Nixon challenged Cuomo on the Working Families Party line.
Cuomo was so enraged with Nixon’s challenge that he derived a plan to eliminate minor political parties in New York State. As a result, New York now has four political parties left, with four others eliminated.
In addition to the democrat and republican parties, the WFP and the Conservative parties remain, due to the fact that the WFP put Joe Biden on their line and the Conservative party put Trump on their line. The Libertarian party, the Green Party, the Independence Party, the Women’s Equality Party, and the SAM Party, all have been eliminated. 340,000 New Yorkers were informed by the Board of Elections that there party no longer exists, thanks to a Bullying effort by Andrew Cuomo because of his rage over Cynthia Nixon challenging him for Governor.
And the way in which Gov. Andrew Cuomo treated Cynthia Nixon is now being examined by New Yorkers, as they examine and consider whether their Governor should be removed for office, or at the least, not run for a fourth term in 2022.
Nixon, who recently held an online fund raiser for Queens Borough President candidate Jimmy Van Brammer, has kept relatively quiet, retweeting other comments against Cuomo, but not telling her story.
“It appears he’s earned himself a primary,” said New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams.
With flyers on flagpoles in New York City that say “Gov. Cuomo Killed my mother in the Nursing Home,” popping up, Cuomo may be lucky to make it to a democratic primary next year.
