NEW YORK (AP) — In his first public speech since resigning over multiple sexual harassment allegations last year, former New York governor Andrew Cuomo on Sunday assailed the “cancel culture” he said was behind politically motivated efforts to remove him, and hinted at a future role in public life.
Appearing at God’s Battalion of Prayer Church in Brooklyn on Sunday morning, Cuomo quoted the Bible several times as he described his travails, and then went on the offensive to attack the “political sharks” in Albany who, he said, “smelled 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 outset. “They used cancel culture to effectively overturn an election.”
The Democrat resigned in Augustdays after an independent probe found he sexually harassed nearly a dozen women and that he and aides worked to retaliate against an accuser. On Sunday, Cuomo acknowledged that his behavior had not been appropriate, but quickly added that nothing he did violated the law.
“I didn’t appreciate how fast the perspectives changed,” he said. “I’ve learned a powerful lesson and paid a very high price for learning that lesson. God isn’t finished with me yet.”
Several district attorneys in New York said they found Cuomo’s accusers “credible,” but said the available evidence was not strong enough to press criminal charges against him. Last month, a New York state trooper sued him claiming he caused her severe mental anguish and emotional distress by touching her inappropriately and making suggestive comments. A Cuomo spokesperson called the suit a “cheap cash extortion.”
Cuomo used his platform Sunday mostly to condemn a social media-fueled climate he said is growing and dangerous.
“Any accusation can trigger condemnation without facts or due process,” he said. “We are a nation of laws, not a nation of tweets. Woe unto us if we allow that 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 will not stay out of the spotlight.
“The Bible teaches perseverance. It teaches us to get off the mat,” he said. “They broke my heart, but they didn’t break my spirit. I want to take the energy that could have made me bitter and make us better.”