After New York Attorney General Letitia James gave credence to accusations made by multiple women, Democratic New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s former allies in the Democratic Party and the media quickly turned their backs on the soon-to-be ex-governor.
While Biden, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and other prominent Democrats joined in the chorus demanding Cuomo’s resignation, Vice President Kamala Harris’ voice was conspicuously missing, especially given the fact that she had wholeheartedly stood with Biden’s accusers in 2019.
The accusations made against Cuomo actually echo those made against Biden during the 2020 presidential election, when several women came forward to claim that Biden had touched them inappropriately.
Biden tried to downplay the accusations as misinterpretations of his friendly Uncle Joe demeanor.
“I shake hands, I hug people, I grab men and women by the shoulders and say, ‘You can do this.’ Whether they are women, men, young, old, it’s the way I’ve always been. It’s the way I show I care about them, that I listen,” he said at the time. “Social norms have begun to change, they’ve shifted. And the boundaries of protecting personal space have been reset. And I get it. I get it. I hear what they’re saying, I understand it. And I’ll be much more mindful. That’s my responsibility and I’ll meet it.”
Cuomo made an eerily similar excuse for his own behavior, using a slightly creepy montage of him embracing celebrities and politicians as evidence and even blaming his Italian heritage.
In his resignation announcement, Cuomo said, “I’ve never crossed the line with anyone. But, I didn’t realize the extent to which the line has been redrawn. There are generational and cultural shifts that I just didn’t fully appreciate, and I should have no excuses … I want to thank the women that came forward with sincere complaints. It’s not easy to step forward, but you did an important service, and you taught me, and you taught others an important lesson. Personal boundaries must be expanded and must be protected. I accept full responsibility.”
“I believe them and I respect them being able to tell their story and having the courage to do it,” Harris said of Biden’s accusers in April 2019 while she and Biden were jockeying for the Democratic nomination.
Harris was silent on the accusations made by Tara Reade later in the election cycle — by then she had become Biden’s running mate.
Harris will almost certainly not receive any serious questions about this apparent double standard, but, for those with a longer memory and a more developed sense of fairness than most in the legacy media, it’s an intriguing thought.
Hayden Daniel is the opinion editor at the Daily Caller.
