In an interview on Tuesday, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said that if the allegations of the nursing home and sexual harassment against New York Governor Andrew Cuomo are true, “he cannot rule” .
De Blasio and Cuomo, both Democrats, have had a bad relationship for a long time. They clashed last summer over protests against George Floyd that broke out in the city; they fought in April for the reopening of schools; and The Nation reported that Cuomo “officially and unofficially” delights in “denigrating Blasio in the press”.
But the recent scandals that ensnared Cuomo have put the former possible presidential leader in a desperate position to try to establish his government.
Earlier this year, Cuomo’s team confirmed thousands of deaths in nursing homes due to the coronavirus than the state’s previous count. The change came after a report by state attorney general Letitia James.
Cuomo now faces charges of sexual harassment from three former advisers, charges that led to an inquiry by James’ office and asks Cuomo to step down.
The governor totally denied some of the allegations and said in a recent statement: “Now I understand that my interactions may have been insensitive or very personal and that some of my comments, due to my position, made others feel in ways I never thought. I recognize that some of the things I said were misinterpreted as an unwanted flirtation. To the extent that someone felt that way, I really am sorry for that. “
Last month, de Blasio said he believed a Democratic state deputy who claimed that Cuomo “scolded” him during a phone call about COVID-19’s death toll in the state. Ron Kim, the deputy, criticized the government’s alleged underreporting of the deaths of COVID-19 and said the governor was furious at the criticism.
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DeBlasio, who Politico said he may be considering running for governor, called the incident “classic Andrew Cuomo”.
“Bullying is nothing new,” said de Blasio. “I believe in Ron Kim, and that is very, very sad. No public servant, no person who is telling the truth should be treated that way. The threats, the depreciation, the requirement that someone change his statement immediately – many, many times, I’ve heard it and I know that many people in this state have heard it. ”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.