Former New York Gov.
Andrew Cuomo
and his aides are intensifying an effort to revive his public standing, including discussing how to make his first public appearance since resigning in August, according to people close to him.
Mr. Cuomo and his remaining aides have been calling former allies and political operatives to complain about New York Attorney General Letitia James, who oversaw an investigation that concluded Mr. Cuomo sexually harassed 11 women, including current and former state employees. The former Democratic governor has denied touching anybody inappropriately and said the investigation was politically motivated.
The former governor’s lawyer, Rita Glavin, has held press briefings to release information about his accusers that she says undermines their credibility. Mr. Cuomo has been attempting to determine the right forum for a speech or appearance that would mark his return to public life, according to the people close to him.
“If you were in his position, you wouldn’t let it go either. The truth is important to him,” Ms. Glavin said. She has asked Ms. James’s office to amend the report to include information she said is favorable to the governor’s defense. Ms. Glavin said Mr. Cuomo was considering his available legal options.
New York Attorney General Letitia James oversaw a state investigation into claims about Andrew Cuomo.
Photo:
BRENDAN MCDERMID/REUTERS
Ms. James, also a Democrat, has said the report was corroborated by district attorneys who called the accusers credible and is based on 74,000 pieces of evidence. “Mr. Cuomo’s relentless attacks on these brave women will not mask the truth—he is a serial sexual harasser,” said Delaney Kempner, a spokeswoman for Ms. James.
The sexual-harassment allegations against Mr. Cuomo and his response to them have engulfed others. Last week, CNN President
Jeff Zucker
resigned for failing to disclose a personal relationship that was revealed to the network by lawyers for Chris Cuomo, the former governor’s brother.
Chris Cuomo was fired as an anchor by CNN in December after failing to disclose the extent to which he was advising his brother’s response to the harassment charges. Leaders of the state university system and several advocacy groups also resigned or were fired due to their roles in responding to the harassment allegations against Andrew Cuomo.
Some political operatives who have spoken with Mr. Cuomo or his aides said they think he is considering a run for attorney general this year against Ms. James. The people said Mr. Cuomo, who was attorney general from 2007 to 2010, never explicitly mentioned a campaign, but they inferred his interest based on the points he made about Ms. James and questions he asked about the state’s political climate. It is the former governor’s style to ask questions about his options as part of his decision making, the people said.
Rich Azzopardi, a spokesman for Mr. Cuomo, denied that he is interested in running for Attorney General. “There are a lot of silly rumors running around this town, and we can’t help it if some people are still fixated on us,” Mr. Azzopardi said.
Lawyer Rita Glavin has held press briefings to release information that she says undermines the credibility of some of Andrew Cuomo’s accusers.
Photo:
Associated Press
Mr. Cuomo has spent more than $1 million from his campaign account since leaving office and has $16 million on hand, according to the state Board of Elections. Nearly $900,000 went to his lawyer, Ms. Glavin, with additional outlays to Mr. Azzopardi’s firm and for letters sent to voters, according to board records.
Mr. Cuomo’s public presence since leaving office has been limited to photos released on social-media accounts—including fishing in warmer weather and sporting a mustache while posing with his daughters for Thanksgiving.
On Tuesday, Mr. Cuomo dined for two hours with New York City Mayor Eric Adams in a private room at an Italian restaurant in Manhattan, said a person familiar with the meal, which was reported by the New York Post. Mr. Adams said Thursday on radio station WCBS that he was soliciting input from a variety of people and would be foolish not to seek advice from Mr. Cuomo.
New York State Democratic Chairman
Jay Jacobs
said he last spoke with Mr. Cuomo around Thanksgiving.
“He’s most interested in clearing his name,” Mr. Jacobs said. “My advice would be, he needs time to pass before any moves to re-enter public life. But is that possible in the future? In America, anything’s possible.”
Former Gov. Eliot Spitzer and ex-U.S. Rep. Anthony Weiner, both Democrats, campaigned for office in New York City after they resigned amid sex scandals. Neither of their comeback bids was successful.
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Mr. Cuomo appeared alongside his attorneys on Jan. 7 when he was arraigned virtually in Albany City Court on a charge of forcibly touching Brittany Commisso, his former executive assistant, which he denied. Albany County District Attorney P. David Soares said he couldn’t meet his burden of proof at trial and dropped the charge.
In subsequent days, Ms. Glavin held a press conference to release information that was obtained in the pretrial process about several women who accused Mr. Cuomo of harassment, which she said Ms. James intentionally left out of her report. The attorney general’s office denied that accusation.
The material included a threatening message sent by
Lindsey Boylan
to her former boss,
Howard Zemsky,
after he signed on to a statement disputing her allegation that the governor suggested they play strip poker.
Mr. Zemsky later testified that he did hear Mr. Cuomo make the strip poker comment. A lawyer for Ms. Boylan said releasing the digital message was “just another attempt by Mr. Cuomo to deflect blame and evade accountability.”
Write to Jimmy Vielkind at Jimmy.Vielkind@wsj.com
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