After spending over a year lavishing heaps of praise on New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo for his failed handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, verified or “blue checkmark” pundits across legacy media, government, and entertainment were made into fools on Tuesday after New York Attorney General Letitia James reported she found evidence Cuomo had sexually harassed multiple women throughout his time in office.
“In a report released on Tuesday, investigators used more than 74,000 pieces of evidence and testimony from 179 witnesses to conclude that the Democrat took advantage of multiple victims including ‘young women’ by engaging in unwanted groping, kisses, hugging, and making inappropriate comments,” wrote The Federalist’s Jordan Davidson.
Coupled with Cuomo’s nursing home scandal, the sexual assault revelations thoroughly embarrass dozens of Democrats who pegged the New York governor as a world-renowned humanitarian for his performance throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. In March 2020, the Washington Post’s opinion writer Jennifer Rubin couldn’t help but fawn over Cuomo’s press briefings on COVID-19.
“Watching Andrew Cuomo is inspiring, uplifting, fascinating,” she said. “He weaves details and humor and math and common sense all together. He is magnificent. Let’s just listen to him.”
Watching Andrew Cuomo is inspiring, uplifting, fascinating. He weaves details and humor and math and common sense all together. He is magnificent. Let's just listen to him.
— Jen "get knocked down, get back up " Rubin (@JRubinBlogger) March 25, 2020
A few days later, reporter Matt Flegenheimer daydreamed in the pages of the New York Times about a potential presidential run for Cuomo, describing how his press briefings have allowed the governor to “become the politician of the moment, held up as the man in command with his state under siege.”
“More respected than revered over much of his nine-year tenure as governor, never seeing a clean path to a White House promotion he has long been said to covet, Mr. Cuomo now finds himself with a national audience, even as local supporters and critics agree he is much the same as he always was,” wrote Flegenheimer.
A "Cuomo for President" cashmere sweater can be yours for $285. Rivers Cuomo is now going by "Gov. Cuomo" on Twitter. These are disorienting times.
What the "Cuomo 2020" fantasy says about the 2020 reality: https://t.co/9vLHd6aPnZ
— Matt Flegenheimer (@mattfleg) March 30, 2020
Meanwhile, the governor’s own brother, CNN anchor Chris Cuomo, regularly ran interference for his brother by attempting to influence the network’s coverage of his various scandals.
“I’ve never tried to influence this network’s coverage of my brother. In fact, I’ve been walled off from it,” Chris claimed.
The so-called “apology” came in response to reports that suggested that the CNN anchor participated in “adviser meetings with his brother and senior aides who helped cover up the state’s nursing home scandal to determine the administration’s response to the sexual harassment allegations against him.”
https://twitter.com/CuomoPrimeTime/status/1395557649865973762?s=20
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases who advised then-President Donald Trump and now advises President Joe Biden, repeatedly praised Cuomo for his response to COVID-19.
“I mean, as you know, New York has been hit particularly hard and they’ve suffered greatly. They’ve responded, I think in an extraordinarily powerful way,” Fauci told Vanity Fair in March 2020. The infectious disease doctor echoed similar sentiments months later in July, stating that “New York got hit worse than any place in the world” and “they did it correctly.”
Fauci was also more than happy to joke around with Cuomo during a press briefing with the New York governor in the midst of the pandemic about whether he preferred to be the “De Niro” or “Pacino” of the two.
Cuomo to Fauci: "We're like the modern day De Niro and Pacino." pic.twitter.com/1WHJZFG3rf
— The Hill (@thehill) December 7, 2020
Fauci tells Cuomo that Nathan's hot dogs and a "really steaming pastrami sandwich" are the foods he misses most from his hometown, Brooklyn
Cuomo: "So no cannolis? No meatballs?"
Fauci: "I don't want to do overdo it. They're welcome. I'll take them all" https://t.co/9T8aUPjUrs pic.twitter.com/pkgemMYlAk
— CBS News (@CBSNews) December 7, 2020
Celebrities also joined in on celebrating Cuomo, with many of them participating in a video announcement congratulating the New York governor on winning an Emmy award.
How embarrassing.pic.twitter.com/eDGXY3nSJt
— Jerry Dunleavy IV 🇺🇸 (@JerryDunleavy) February 15, 2021
Chris Rock at the daily Gov. Cuomo COVID-19 Briefing: "I thought we were living in a country. I woke up and there were 50 countries. Right now, we're in the Country of New York." pic.twitter.com/d4IBUd6Fk7
— Lance Ulanoff (@LanceUlanoff) May 28, 2020
I’m in Love With Andrew Cuomo 💋
“ANDY”🎶— Cher (@cher) April 15, 2020
I really hope @NYGovCuomo sees this awesome @RandyRainbow video from one great New Yorker to another (@chelseahandler you got competish) https://t.co/nms03dutck
— Sarah Silverman (@SarahKSilverman) April 6, 2020
To put the cherry on top, Cuomo has also received high praise from President Joe Biden, who thanked the governor for his “leadership” throughout the pandemic.
“@AndrewCuomo, thank you for your leadership and the example you’ve set for all Americans during this pandemic,” Biden said in an August 2020 tweet.
.@AndrewCuomo, thank you for your leadership and the example you’ve set for all Americans during this pandemic. #DemConvention pic.twitter.com/Ir11a1vJQs
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) August 18, 2020
Moreover, when pressed by ABC’s George Stephanopoulos on whether Cuomo should resign if the sexual assault allegations were true, Biden was unequivocal in stating that the New York governor should step down.
In March, Biden said Andrew Cuomo should resign if the sexual assault allegations against him were true.
Biden needs to call on Cuomo to resign immediately. pic.twitter.com/LyV1atax78
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) August 3, 2021
