Disgraced former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) released an ad against the state’s Attorney General Letitia James (D) suggesting that he was the victim of a political attack referencing the sexual misconduct allegations that drove him to resign from his position last year.
An investigation conducted by James’ office found that he had sexually harassed 11 women. The cases were dropped following a district attorney’s decision to decline prosecution in a case dealing with an accusation of groping from a former aide, which was the most serious case against Cuomo. The others, which included accusations from executive staffers and a state trooper were dropped soon after.
Cuomo adviser Rich Azzopardi said that the ad’s goal is to inform the public that five district attorneys dismissed the AG’s findings. The ad did not mention that the district attorneys said they found the accusations to be credible but felt that they could not take the cases to court with a lack of indisputable evidence to present to the jury.
The ad drew criticism from Cuomo’s accusers. Charlotte Bennett, one of Cuomo’s former executive staffers wrote on Twitter, “He has spun a web of lies and ploys so thick that perhaps he is diluting himself into believing he can convince others of his `Big Lie.'”
James’ office responded to the ad, condemning Cuomo’s actions.
“The only thing Andrew Cuomo has proven himself to be is a serial sexual harasser and a threat to women in the workplace — no TV ad can change that,” Delaney Kempner, a spokeswoman for James, told the New York Times. “It’s shameful that after multiple investigations found Cuomo’s victims to be credible, he continues to attack their accounts rather than take responsibility for his own actions.”
Watch the ad below.
