New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, 62 got that sinking feeling when formerly unnamed accuser Brittany Commisso went public with her account that her boss groped her reaching down her back to her butt, creating a hostile work environment but, more importantly, causing her emotional distress. Cuomo has denied the charges for 11 women, nine of whom worked in subordinate positions for the governor. Cuomo’s 51-year-old brother, CNN host Chris Cuomo, reportedly helped write Andrew’s mea culpa to the press, telling the women, in effect, he was sorry if he embarrassed or hurt anyone’s feelings but he did nothing wrong. “The governor needs to be held accountable,” said Commisso. “What he did to me was a crime. He broke the law,” referring to New York State and Federal laws related to appropriate workplace conditions, something undeniable.
Cumo’s 51-year-old brother, Chris, admitted in his mea culpa written in March that his brother Andrew was sorry for doing anything that made them feel uncomfortable, yet, insisting, at the same time, the governor denies emphatically that he did anything inappropriate. Since the allegations broke in March, the governor has been denying that he did anything wrong. He explained that he’s an old school politician that likes to show affection to his subordinate employees, essentially admitting, that if he did anything wrong, he had the best of intentions and meant no harm. Cumo’s brother Chris told his audience that he would not cover his brother’s story on CNN, saying that blood is thicker than water, family comes first. Chris Cuomo is an ongoing disgrace to CNN, despite the fact that he’s taken vacation since Atty. New York State Atty. Gen. Letitia James completed her 85-page report.
James said that after an independent investigation, the State Attorney General concluded that the reports of all 11 women citing workplace harassment were credible. Andrew thinks he can continue denying the charges and somehow they’re going to disappear. Chris has spent his journalist expertise giving advice to Andrew on damage control, hoping to get his older brother off the hook. New York’s Democratic legislature is done with governor, saying that if he doesn’t resign soon, they’ll proceed with impeachment hearings. Gone are the days of plausible deniability with Gov. Cuomo. If a few women came forward with unproven allegations, it’s possible to use standard damage control strategies to get beyond the crisis. But Andrew’s dealing with 11 separate complaints all with about the same complaints of sexual workplace harassment.
Chris Cuomo’s refusal to cover his brother’s story and to help orchestrate his damage control strategy proves, beyond any doubt, that CNN is not a news organization but a public relations wing of the Democrat Party, designed to advance a political agenda. Even the most partisan hosts at CNN a like Brian Stelter or Michael Smirconish, can’t defend Chris Cuomo’s journalistic ethics. Yet the way CNN dealt with former President Donald Trump for four years showed that the network was an extension of the Democrat Party, not a news organization. CNN’s 56-year-old CEO Jeff Zucker could care less that Chris has been advising his brother, or, more importantly, ignoring completely his brother’s workplace harassment story. Andrew’s problems won’t go away because his brother Chris can poke holes in the women’s stories, all corroborating that his brother broke the law.
Cuomo must resign immediately not because what he did was the equivalent or rape or torture but because, whatever he did, it broke New York State and Federal laws related to workplace harassment. Chris tried to explain everything away because the women offered no proof that they were mistreated. But when Commisso went public, getting very specific about Andrew groping her rear end, it told the New York State legislature that his bullying behavior cannot go unpunished. Chris needs level with Andrew that there’s no more spin that can be applied to 11 separate allegations of workplace harassment. Andrew can’t make up his own rules about workplace harassment that meet his abysmal neediness, asking several of his victims if they were open to a relationship with an older man.
Hitting on young subordinates is no excuse for Gov. Cumo’s failed social life, using his employees for emotional and sexual gratification. Whether or not Andrew ever had sex with anyone of his employees is not necessary to qualify as sexual harassment. Commisso made clear that her former boss committed a crime, related to New York State and Federal laws governing the workplace. Cuomo’s inability to recognize what he’s done shows that the legislature must act with great haste to remove him from office. No state of federal employee should be subjected to an old lecher that exploits his young female employees for gratification. Whether he meant any of what he said, Andrew’s already admitted he never meant to hurt anyone. Well judging by Commisso’s public disclosure, he certainly humiliated her, causing her emotional and personal distress, violating state and federal laws.
About the Author
John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news. He’s editor of OnlineColumnist.com and author of Dodging The Bullet and Operation Charisma.
