Democratic New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo touted his response to the coronavirus pandemic at the end of a Tuesday press conference where he addressed a report that found he had sexually harassed multiple women.
“We then have to reopen and reimagine our state, because our future is going to be what we make it,” the governor said. “I know we can do these things because I know the strength and the character of New Yorkers.”
Cuomo then pointed to the coronavirus pandemic and infection rates in New York, touting his administration’s alleged success in handling the virus. (RELATED: Cuomo Sexually Harassed State Trooper Assigned To Protect Him, Investigation Finds)
“Look at the progress we made on Covid. It is amazing,” the governor said. “We went from the highest infection rate in the country to one of the lowest infection rates in the country. Nobody thought that we could do it, but New Yorkers did it.”
Data from Hamilton Place Strategies, however, found that New York did the worst of all 50 states in terms of job loss and death during the pandemic. The Cuomo administration also faced scrutiny after reports that they had altered nursing home data in order to make their pandemic response look better.
The governor was responding to a report from the New York Attorney General’s office that found he had sexually harassed multiple women. The report said that Cuomo had subjected employees to sexually charged comments and unwanted touching, and had also been part of a pressure campaign to keep them quiet.
New York Attorney General Letitia James concluded that Cuomo had violated both state and federal law, but later said that Cuomo would not face criminal charges.