The Indian Panorama

Tag: Andrew Cuomo

  • Cuomo climbs 10% in new poll, but still trails Mamdani after Adams’ NYC mayoral race exit

    Cuomo climbs 10% in new poll, but still trails Mamdani after Adams’ NYC mayoral race exit

    NEW YORK (TIP): Mayor Adams’ exit from this year’s race for City Hall is benefitting independent candidate Andrew Cuomo, though the ex-governor still trails Democratic front-runner Zohran Mamdani by double digits, according to a new poll released Thursday, October 9, says Daily News. The Quinnipiac University poll, the first major survey to analyze the state of the mayoral race since Adams’ Sept. 28 campaign exit, found Cuomo pulling 33% support among likely New York City voters. That’s up from the 23% Cuomo netted in a Quinnipiac survey from early September, when Adams was still in the race and polling at 12%.

    Still, Cuomo, who resigned as governor in 2021 amid sexual and professional misconduct accusations he now denies, remains well behind Mamdani, the Democratic mayoral nominee who scored 46% support in the latest Quinnipiac poll, up one point from the September survey.

    “Andrew Cuomo picked up the bulk of Adams’ supporters cutting into Zohran Mamdani’s lead, but Mamdani’s frontrunner status by double digits stays intact,” said Mary Snow, an assistant polling director at Quinnipiac.

    Republican mayoral nominee Curtis Sliwa, the only other major candidate in the race, raked in 15% support in the new survey, the same figure he got in the September poll.

    Rich Azzopardi, Cuomo’s spokesman, seized on the poll as an indication of his boss’ momentum, saying it shows “this race is shifting decisively.”

    “The path is now clear: This is a two-person race between Andrew Cuomo and Zohran Mamdani,” Azzopardi said. “As voters learn more about the stakes and Cuomo’s record of results — rebuilding LaGuardia, revitalizing the MTA, expanding affordable housing, and keeping New York safe — they are rallying behind proven leadership.”

    A spokeswoman for Mamdani, Dora Pekec, said the poll doesn’t change the fact that he is “meeting voters every day in all five boroughs who are ready to turn the page on the broken politics of the past and build a city everyone can afford.”

    “As the billionaires continue to throw out their last-ditched efforts to prop up Andrew Cuomo, we have genuine enthusiasm and 80,000 volunteers on our side. Last time, it wasn’t the billionaires who won that matchup,” Pekec said, a reference to how Mamdani defeated Cuomo in June’s Democratic mayoral primary by over 12%.

    The detailed breakdown of the new poll features some downsides for Cuomo, including that 52% of New York City voters gave him an “unfavorable” rating, compared to 37% who viewed him as “favorable.” Mamdani, by contrast, got a 43% favorable rating, compared to a 35% unfavorable listing.

    The survey, which was conducted between last Friday and this past Tuesday, quizzed 1,015 likely city voters. It has a margin of error of +/- 3.9%.

  • U.S. Justice Department finds that former New York Governor Cuomo sexually harassed employees

    U.S. Justice Department finds that former New York Governor Cuomo sexually harassed employees

    A probe launched in August 2021 found that Cuomo had illegally groped, kissed or made suggestive comments to 11 women

    WASHINGTON, D.C. (TIP): The U.S. Justice Department on January 26 agreed with a finding by the New York attorney general that the State’s former Governor, Andrew Cuomo, violated federal law by sexually harassing female employees and retaliating against those who spoke out.

    As a result of its findings, the federal agency signed a settlement with the New York Executive Chamber approving reforms that Cuomo’s successor, Kathy Hochul, had passed to prevent and address misconduct, and also added several more. Ms. Hochul’s reforms included firing employees who facilitated or helped retaliate against Cuomo’s accusers, opening a human resources department and creating new means for employees to report instances of sexual harassment. The Justice Department settlement announced on Friday calls for the State’s executive chamber to expand the human resources department, add new avenues for reporting and resolving complaints involving high-level officials, and implementing new training and anti-retaliation programs. In response to Friday’s announcement, an attorney for Cuomo, Rita Glavin, said the former governor “did not sexually harass anyone.” Glavin, in a statement, accused the Justice Department’s probe of being entirely based on the State Attorney General’s report, which she characterized as “deeply flawed, inaccurate, biased, and misleading.”

    Friday’s announcement concluded a probe launched in August 2021 after New York’s Democratic attorney general found that Cuomo, who is also a Democrat, had illegally groped, kissed or made suggestive comments to 11 women, and that his office had retaliated against the first accuser to go public.

    Cuomo, who had served since 2011 as governor of New York, the fourth-largest U.S. state, resigned a week later after pressure from President Joe Biden and others.

    In 2023, one of Cuomo’s aides filed a civil lawsuit against the former governor, saying she was “continuously subjected” to sexual harassment while working for Cuomo, beginning in December 2019, including sexual comments and unwanted touching.

    She previously filed a criminal complaint against Cuomo, the only one brought over the allegations against him, but it was dropped by a local prosecutor who said he could not prove a crime beyond reasonable doubt.

  • Ravi Batra’s advice to Gov Andrew Cuomo to “heal, enjoy fatherhood fully, and find himself, outside of politics, as a Sphinx of a man.”

    Ravi Batra’s advice to Gov Andrew Cuomo to “heal, enjoy fatherhood fully, and find himself, outside of politics, as a Sphinx of a man.”

    I.S. Saluja

    NEW YORK (TIP): Attorney Ravi Batra the other day sent a note to The Indian Panorama which clearly carried a friend’s concern for another in the wake of the latter’s tragic fall from grace in the wake of allegations of sexual misconduct.

    Cuomo probably did not realize when the allegations flew into his face that he was no Donald Trump. At the same time, he also found, ironically, unlike Donald Trump, his conscience pricking him and finally compelling him to step down.

    Cuomo could have saved himself from the disgrace he encountered by stepping down the moment the smoke rose, but he allowed the smoke to choke him.

    Ravi Batra who is a friend to Cuomo decided to give him an open friendly advice.

    “Ranju& I know Andrew Cuomo as a dear friend when he was New York State Attorney General and supported him fully. I saw in him qualities of a President Teddy Roosevelt – and said so – to reporter Liz Benjamin. He is “blue-blood” to power, which to paraphrase Mark Twain in “The Prince and the Pauper,” Andrew is a Prince who would never use the great seal of New York “to crack walnuts.” But, unfortunately, that which made him American royalty or political aristocracy, was also his Achilles’ heel: as in a nation of laws, under-pinned by our exceptional “separation of powers” regime, no one can control government. Andrew amazingly did.

    Indeed, to avoid going to war with my friend, I quit the powerful New York State Joint Commission on Public Ethics (JCOPE) in September 2012, even as I was one of its founding commissioners warmly supported by my dear friend, the late great District Attorney Robert M. Morgenthau Jr. I even sent him a letter, as both he and I are “blue-blooded” sons of great fathers. But he was surrounded by a tight circle of “yes” men and women, benefitting and roasting warmly in his power.

    His accumulation of extra-constitutional control permitted him to act – in public policy or private conduct – as if he was above the law. And just like a car without “brakes “and only an “accelerator,” a crash is inevitable as it is unavoidable. Andrew’s crash has been happening over 10 years, like a fine Opera taking time to build to a crescendo: a tragic end of Andrew the Great.

    I knew his Dad, Hon. Mario Cuomo, albeit, not as well as Andrew. Still, he was the happy personification of the American Dream, and an orator Mark Anthony would applaud. There is no joy in seeing my old friend Andrew self-destruct like Lazarus flying too close to the sun. In time, his private conduct will have met a full measure of justice, but history will always weep for what he would and could have wrought, as a sensible centrist Democrat worthy of being president of the United States and keeping us all safe from enemies foreign and domestic. I wish Andrew to heal, enjoy fatherhood fully, and find himself, outside of politics, as a Sphinx of a man.”

  • New York Auto Show Canceled Over COVID Delta Variant Concerns

    New York Auto Show Canceled Over COVID Delta Variant Concerns

    NEW YORK CITY (TIP): The delta variant of coronavirus forced organizers to once again pump the brakes on the New York International Auto Show.”It is with great disappointment that the upcoming 2021 New York International Automobile Show at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center has been cancelled due to the growing incidences of the Covid-19 Delta variant and the increased measures announced recently by State and local officials to stop its spread,” organizers said in a statement released Wednesday.

    The event will return to its regular spring schedule in April 2022, organizers said.

    The coronavirus pandemic already forced organizers to cancel the 2020 New York Auto Show.

    The show’s return to the Javits Center was unveiled in a splashy June announcement by Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

    Find out what’s happening in New York City with free, real-time updates from Patch.

    “This is a sure sign that New York is coming back stronger and better than ever,” he said at the time.

    But it appears the Auto Show spun out, much like Cuomo’s political fortunes.

    The delta variant has prompted New York City, state and federal officials to adopt strict vaccination and mask mandates to stop its spread, especially in indoor spaces.

    Mayor Bill de Blasio this week announced that indoor entertainment and performance events in the city will require proof of vaccination starting Aug. 16. It’s unclear whether the mandate would apply to the Auto Show, but organizers seemed to allude to similar strict measures in their release.

    “Increased delta-variant measures force event’s hand,” the release is subtitled.

    “Over the past few weeks, and especially within the last few days, circumstances have changed making it more difficult to create an event at the high standard that we and our clients expect,” the statement reads.

    “At the onset of planning for the August Show, we were increasingly excited at the prospect of hosting the event as the number of vaccinations in New York continued to climb and mask-wearing reduced the spread in the City. All signs were positive, and the Show was coming together stronger than ever, but today is a different story.”

  • Calls to resign grow even as a defiant Cuomo denies allegations

    Calls to resign grow even as a defiant Cuomo denies allegations

    President, lawmakers call for Cuomo’s resignation over sexual harassment report

    WASHINGTON / NEW YORK (TIP): U.S. President Joe Biden, along with lawmakers in the House and Senate, on Tuesday, August 3, called for New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo to step down following the release of an investigative report alleging he sexually harassed and otherwise engaged in inappropriate behavior with 11 women.

    Earlier in the day, New York Attorney General Letitia James released a report, the result of an almost five-month, independent investigation, on the sexual harassment allegations against the governor that concluded Cuomo had engaged in the inappropriate behavior.1

    The alleged victims of Cuomo’s harassment included his staff members and other women who worked for the state, and members of the public he encountered.2

    In March, Biden had said that if the investigation confirmed the allegations, he thought Cuomo should resign. When a reporter asked about his March comments during a press briefing on COVID-19 vaccination efforts, Biden stood by them.3 Following yet another question about Cuomo, the president addressed his March comments again.

    “What I said was if the investigation by the attorney general concluded that the allegations were correct, back in March, I would recommend he resign. That is what I’m doing today.”

    Cuomo denied the allegations. “First, I want you to know directly from me that I never touched anyone inappropriately or made inappropriate sexual advances,” the governor said in response to the report.5 “I am 63 years old. I have lived my entire adult life in public view. That is just not who I am.” Cuomo did not say whether he would resign, but he did say he would “not be distracted” from doing his job by the allegations.

    House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), and other Capitol Hill lawmakers, such as New York Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand have also called for Cuomo’s resignation.

    New York State Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie said New York state lawmakers were taking impeachment action.

    “Once we receive all relevant documents and evidence from the Attorney General, we will move expeditiously and look to conclude our impeachment investigation as quickly as possible,” Heastie said.

    Meanwhile, Cuomo says it’s about politics.

    “Politics and bias are interwoven throughout every aspect of this situation,” Cuomo said.

    Black, Latino, and Asian Caucus called on Governor Cuomo to resign.

    “The findings disclosed today by the State Attorney General’s Office leave no doubt that Governor Cuomo committed sexual harassment, cultivated a workplace culture that was hostile to the women under his employ, and retaliated against those who spoke out against his abusive behavior.

    Governor Cuomo’s continued denial of wrongdoing in the face of these disclosures do a disservice to the people of New York, as it is apparent that he violated the law, betrayed the public trust, and failed to uphold the values and principles that we as a society value.

    He has lost all credibility and must resign immediately.

    Sadly, despite the many revelations that have come to light over the past several years about similar misconduct, women continue to be subject to various forms of physical, verbal, and psychological abuse in the workplace. Worse, those who courageously dare to challenge their abusers face the prospect of both personal and profession ruin for such bravery.

    Sexual harassment in any setting simply cannot be tolerated, and we have a moral obligation to be vigilant against all acts of misogyny whenever and wherever they occur.”

    Senator Gaughran commented: “The Attorney General’s findings of sexual harassment and violations of New York State’s sexual harassment policy are credible and deeply troubling. I thank the women who bravely spoke out about the Governor’s reprehensible conduct.

    In the best interest of the state, the Governor should resign.”

    Mayor Bill de Blasio, on August 3, released the following statement on the release of Attorney General James’ report:

    “My first thoughts are with the women who were subject to this abhorrent behavior, and their bravery in stepping forward to share their stories. The Attorney General’s detailed and thorough report substantiates many disturbing instances of severe misconduct. Andrew Cuomo committed sexual assault and sexual harassment and intimidated a whistleblower. It is disqualifying.

    “It is beyond clear that Andrew Cuomo is not fit to hold office and can no longer serve as Governor. He must resign, and if he continues to resist and attack the investigators who did their jobs, he should be impeached immediately.” Cuomo Should Face Criminal Charge, De Blasio said.

    “If you assault a woman, if you do something against her will sexually, that’s criminal,” Mayor Bill de Blasio said on “CBS This Morning.”

    The fallout from a bombshell sexual harassment probe against Gov. Andrew Cuomo shouldn’t just end in the governor’s resignation or impeachment, Mayor Bill de Blasio said.

    De Blasio said Cuomo — his bitter rival who sexually harassed or assaulted 11 women, according to a 165-page report — should face a criminal charge.

    “If you assault a woman, if you do something against her will sexually, that’s criminal,” de Blasio said Wednesday on “CBS This Morning. “And the Albany County District Attorney is looking at that and I think he should be charged.”

    Hours after de Blasio’s comment, Manhattan prosecutors announced they’ll look into accusations Cuomo committed misconduct in Manhattan.

    The Manhattan D.A. is at least the third prosecutor’s office to start investigating Cuomo after Attorney General Letitia James released the misconduct report Tuesday. Westchester County’s D.A. said Wednesday she would investigate Cuomo over a state trooper’s assertion that the governor tried to kiss her outside his home in Mount Kisco, and Albany County’s prosecutor is looking into accusations there.

    Cuomo denied accusations he harassed or groped women in a pre-taped video and report his office released.

    But most lawmakers aren’t buying Cuomo’s denials — from President Joe Biden on down to New York City elected officials, they’re calling for his resignation and, if he doesn’t step down, removal from office by impeachment.

    Perhaps the biggest sign of Cuomo’s crumblingsupport was a statement from Jay Jacobs, the state’s Democratic party chairman.

    Jacobs said it appeared Cuomo, rather than resigning, “may seek to prolong the current situation.”

    “The facts presented make clear that there is a preponderance of evidence of both a toxic workplace and actual sexual harassment,” Jacobs said. “I agree with the Attorney General. I believe the women. I believe the allegations. I cannot speak to the Governor’s motivations. What I can say is that the Governor has lost his ability to govern, both practically and morally. The Party and this State will not be well served by a long, protracted removal process designed only to delay what is now, clearly, inevitable.”

    De Blasio, in appearances after the sexual harassment report’s release, lambasted Cuomo’s alleged misconduct and character as a person.

    “When you read this report, 11 women systematically wronged, 11 women confronted by a powerful guy who could crush their career, and their reputation, and he’s the kind of guy that everyone assumes would if you crossed him,” he said on “CBS This Morning.”

    Cuomo’s assertions that he likes to hug people and instances of alleged groping are a generational misunderstanding didn’t hold water with de Blasio.

    “Putting your hand up a woman’s shirt and touching their breast is not generational,” he said on CBS. “I know plenty of guys who are older who would never in a million years do that. Talking to 20-something-year old women, asking them if they’d date an older guy and then leering at them — this is not acceptable behavior, it’s not even close.”

    (With inputs from agencies)