Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo is riding a wave of good news, having surged to the front of the pack in the weeks since he entered the New York City mayor’s race.
But his critics are hoping to short-circuit his rise by accusing him of being soft on the Trump administration in order to avoid federal prosecution over Cuomo’s alleged mishandling of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Sound like anyone else? The anti-Cuomo PAC New Yorkers for Better Leadership thinks so.
“New Yorkers rightly abandoned Eric Adams when they realized he would be a puppet of Donald Trump,” said Lauren Hitt, the group’s spokesperson, in a statement first shared with Gothamist. “Andrew Cuomo is no different, facing possible criminal charges from Trump’s Department of Justice for lying about his COVID record. And, Cuomo is clearly feeling the heat.”
The group is referring to testimony Cuomo gave before a Republican-led U.S. House select subcommittee investigating the COVID pandemic. The former governor testified in September that he did not remember reviewing a state health department report that officials say undercounted deaths in nursing homes in early 2020 – but the New York Times reported that he wrote parts of it.
A Republican congressmember from Ohio – no longer in office – referred the matter to the Department of Justice for prosecution last year. There’s no indication that any charges are coming, but Hitt argues that Cuomo will “do whatever Trump says he needs to do to stay out of prison, just like Mayor Adams.”
The sharp words come from a dark money group that says it’s composed of “concerned citizens dedicated to ensuring New Yorkers know the facts on Cuomo's record of mismanagement.”
New Yorkers for Better Leadership hasn’t disclosed its donors and Hitt — the former communications director for Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and spokesperson for the Kamala Harris campaign — declined to say who was supporting the PAC. Cuomo spokesperson Rich Azzopardi argued it’s made up of supporters of the former governor’s favorite foil: former New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, with whom Cuomo feuded for nearly eight years.
“This is a desperate and frankly silly attack from the de Blasio PAC,” Azzopardi said. The former mayor has no known affiliation with the group.
Cuomo may have made himself an easy target by at first staying quiet on the Trump administration. But as his campaign heats up, he’s beginning to frame the president as a “major threat.”
“Nobody will fight him stronger. Nobody will fight him smarter because I did. And I have every day of COVID, day after day after day. And you know what? We're going to be able to handle President Trump,” Cuomo said at an event in Washington Heights on Sunday. “Don't you worry about it.”
Ballot Box
This week we're wondering: Have you donated to a candidate for mayor (or any city office) this cycle? Tell us who.
Last week we asked: Should Democrats start new spending programs amid the threat of federal cuts?
Here's what some of you said:
“Good fiscal management requires that we delay new spending programs until after the 2026 midterms, when hopefully — with Democrats in charge — we will have the money to pay for them.
- Mark, Queens
“I think every program should be looked at carefully, with an eye toward the possibility of federal cuts. We need to balance fiscal caution with maintaining the services and programs New Yorkers value and rely on.”
- P R Maines, Baldwin
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Gov. Kathy Hochul is once again asking the Trump administration to sign off on federal funding for the MTA. Here’s what the state is asking for.
Listen: It’s budget crunch time up in Albany, and WNYC/Gothamist reporter Jimmy Vielkind came on “The Brian Lehrer Show” to discuss what’s going on. Listen here.
