Former New York Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo — after resigning in disgrace last year after multiple sexual misconduct allegations against him — spoke at a south Bronx church last week as part of what some are speculating could be a run for office again, Spectrum News 1 reported.
And defending himself against his political enemies, the Democrat blamed cancel culture for his ouster — and quoted the Bible in the process.
What did Cuomo say?
"Stand up to the extremists!" he loudly told the room full of Latino church leaders. "Cancel the cancel culture! That's not who we are. We're Americans! Our cancel-culture mentality today is like modern-day stonings. Remember the stonings in the Bible? Remember the wisdom of Jesus; John 8:7: 'Let he without sin throw the first stone.'"
"Amen to that!" a supporter shouted back at the former governor.
"They all walked away. They all walked away," Cuomo soon remarked in regard those who brought an adulteress to Jesus and said the Law of Moses said she should be stoned to death.
Cuomo also called cancel culture a "social death penalty. Anyone can get canceled at any time. And it happens with frequency. No one’s immune," News 1 added.
Cuomo talks run for governor and cancel cultureyoutu.be
The outlet added that the crowd pushed for Cuomo to return to public office, even as U.S. president.
But some weren't on board with the idea.
Assemblyman Ron Kim ripped what he said was Cuomo's victim tour to distract from an audit that said New York's health agency under Cuomo undercounted at least 4,100 COVID-related nursing home deaths.
“Andrew Cuomo himself tried to cancel old people, he tried to cancel survivors, and he’s around a person who’s tried to cancel gay people,” Kim told NY1, with his last example presumably a reference to former City Council member Rubén Díaz Sr., who introduced Cuomo before his speech. The City Council sanctioned Díaz for anti-LGBTQ remarks, the outlet said.
Kim added to NY1 that "there’s a theme here. But [Cuomo] is a master manipulator.”
Former Republican Gov. George Pataki added to the outlet that if Cuomo "decides to run, he’ll be about as successful as Anthony Weiner was in his return to elective politics.”
Anything else?
Earlier this month Cuomo used similar themes — cancel culture and Christianity — during a speech at a Brooklyn church, which was his first public appearance since he resigned.
But the office of state Attorney General Letitia James — who concluded Cuomo sexually harassed 11 women, including executive staffers and a state trooper — mocked his appearance at the church, the New York Post said.
“Serial sexual harasser Andrew Cuomo won’t even spare a house of worship from his lies,” the statement from James' office read, according to the paper. “Even though multiple independent investigations found his victims to be credible, Cuomo continues to blame everyone but himself. Cuomo wasn’t railroaded; he quit so he wouldn’t be impeached. New Yorkers are ready to move forward from this sick, pathetic man.”
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