Ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo insists he has no regrets about decisions made during the COVID-19 pandemic or his alleged behavior that triggered his downfall — in the most extensive interview since his self-imposed political exile.
Cuomo — the former three-term governor who resigned in August of 2021 under the threat of impeachment under multiple sexual harassment and misconduct accusations — bobbed and weaved during the one-hour “Cuomo Answers All” grilling by WABC 770 AM radio host Rita Cosby.
He insisted he did not violate the state’s recently enhanced sexual harassment law or any other laws during his interactions with a slew of women who accused him of wrongdoing, which were outlined in a devastating investigative report issued by state Attorney General Letitia James’ office.
“There was no sexual harassment,” Cuomo said, who has repeatedly denied the harassment and misconduct claims.
“It was a political report.”
He only allowed that this behavior could be construed as inappropriate.
Still, he said he resigned because he didn’t want his family — particularly his three daughters — to endure the “toxic environment and the negative press” to fight the accusations, which all but certainly would have included impeachment proceedings.
On other issues, Cuomo said he didn’t regret any specific decisions made during the height of the deadly COVID-19 pandemic, including transferring recovering COVID patients from hospitals to skilled nursing facilities.
More than 15,000 nursing home residents died as a result of the virus, though he said the contagious bug was brought in and spread mostly from staffers to patients.
Cuomo said he followed the advice of medical professionals who feared the hospital system would “collapse” and made the best judgments at the time.
“I was in charge of the state in the middle of this war and I take responsibility for everything that happened,” he said.
He also did not regret preparing and drafting a $5 million self-aggrandizing profit-making book in the middle of the pandemic.
Family members of nursing home residents who died from COVID accused him of exploiting the deaths of loved ones for “blood money.”
“The book was my notes that I was taking every day. That’s how I operate ….My book had nothing to do with it,” he said.
Cuomo said he was “sorry for their pain” when asked about nursing home family members.
He defended the unpopular bail reform law he approved in 2019 and insisted elimination of detention pre-trial for most alleged crimes makes “no difference in the statistical rate of crime.”
Asked if he felt responsible for the spike in crime: “No. They’ve been talking about bail reform for two years. They’ve made more changes to bail reform.
“Here’s my prophecy: It’s going to make no difference in the statistical rate of crime.”
“Bail reform is not what is driving crime. It is not what is going to make a difference … You need police who are not afraid to do their job.
“You need police who are trained.”
The former governor defended his approval of the congestion pricing law which will boost the tolls to enter Midtown south of 60th Street, saying the revenues raised are needed to fund the MTA.
Cuomo gave his approval for legalizing marijuana, although he acknowledged the rollout has been a “disaster” for failing to take into account the need for enforcement against illegal weed operators.
But critics complained that it was Cuomo — when he was still governor — who caused delays in the start-up of the cannabis program in a dispute with lawmakers over appointments.
As he has done during his podcasts, Cuomo continued to hammer fellow Democrat President Biden for failing to seal the border and help New York City handle the flow of migrants, saying it’s a federal responsibility.
As for his future, he said “all options are open” when asked if he would attempt a political comeback and run for office again.
