In his first public remarks since resigning, former Gov. Andrew Cuomo defended his record and decried a “cancel culture mentality” in the Democratic Party and the media that he blames for forcing his resignation after a series of scandals and sexual harassment allegations.
“I’ve gone through a difficult period the past few months. I resigned as governor, the press roasted me, my colleagues were ridiculed, my brother was fired. It was ugly,” Cuomo said. “It was the first time that I was glad that my father wasn’t here so he didn’t have to see it.”
Cuomo’s father, former Gov. Mario Cuomo, served three terms with Andrew Cuomo serving as one of his top advisors.
The former governor, who did not admit any wrongdoing, used his speech before a mostly Black audience at God’s Battalion of Prayer Church in Brooklyn Sunday to portray his version of events over the last year as well as lay out his vision for the Democratic Party. He spoke of the policies and actions he believes Democrats need to undertake, but did not get into specifics about his future plans.
“I have many options in life and I am open to all of them. But on the question of if I am at peace? No, I am not at peace,” Cuomo told parishioners at the East Flatbush church. “I don’t think you should be at peace either. We have too much work to do.”
“We can be at peace when they put us in the box,” he added.
During his speech, Cuomo spoke at length about cancel culture, accusing his political opponents of jockeying for his old job and overriding “the election system when they don’t like the outcome.”
He went on to describe progressives as an extremist minority dominating the conversation on social media, likening the outrage from the left to the Tea Party.
“With cancel culture, we now live in a frightening new world where any accusation can trigger condemnation without facts, without due process,” Cuomo said. “We are a nation of laws, not a nation of tweets.”
In August, New York Attorney General Letitia James released a report detailing allegations of sexual harassment by 11 women against Cuomo.
In a statement, James' campaign office said: "Serial sexual harasser Andrew Cuomo won’t even spare a house of worship from his lies. Even though multiple independent investigations found his victims to be credible, Cuomo continues to blame everyone but himself. Cuomo wasn’t railroaded, he quit so he wouldn't be impeached. New Yorkers are ready to move forward from this sick, pathetic man."
God’s Battalion of Prayer Church is led by the Rev. Alfred Cockfield II, a supporter of Mayor Eric Adams and the man behind the Striving for a Better New York PAC, which backs moderate Democrats in state elections.
“I believe in life God sends us challenges. Life will knock us down at some point and the question is what we do in that moment,” Cuomo said. “Do we get angry? Do we feel sorry for ourselves? Or do we learn from it and get back off the mat?”