New York State Democratic Representative Ron Kim’s statement this week that Governor Andrew Cuomo threatened to “destroy him” in a fight over the state’s nursing home crisis marked the last case in which a political rival accused the governor long-standing scare tactics.
Cuomo and Kim were involved in a public war of words over what happened in a phone call between the two of them last week, hours after the New York Post reported that one of the governor’s aides, Melissa DeRosa, admitted that her office hid data on COVID-19 deaths in nursing homes.
In a series of media appearances, Kim claimed that Cuomo threatened to ruin the deputy’s career, unless he returned to the Post in comments in which he said the government was “trying to evade any incriminating evidence”.
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While a top aide denied that the governor had threatened to “destroy” Kim, New York Mayor Bill de Blasio, another frequent combatant from Cuomo, supported Kim’s claims during an appearance on MSNBC. The mayor suggested that Cuomo’s behavior was part of a long history of intimidation.
“It’s a sad thing to say, but this is classic by Andrew Cuomo. Many people in New York state have received these calls. Bullying is nothing new,” said de Blasio.
Cuomo’s representatives did not immediately return a request for comment on de Blasio’s statements.
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He claims that Cuomo is a “bully” for his political rivals predates the nursing home scandal. Actress Cynthia Nixon, who ran unsuccessfully against Cuomo in the primaries for Democratic governor of New York in 2018, repeatedly attacked the governor for his conduct in the campaign.
“We’ve all seen it: Andrew the bully,” Nixon said at a news conference in March 2018, according to the Democrat and Chronicle. “He intimidates other elected officials. He intimidates anyone who criticizes him. He even intimidates the media with his reference to ‘his little issues’.”
Marc Molinaro, who challenged Cuomo in 2018 on the Republican ticket, made a similar observation at the time.
“Listen, we’ve all been there,” said Molinaro, according to Politico.
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The animosity between Cuomo and Blasio, who routinely clashed with state and municipal policy during the coronavirus pandemic, dates back even further. Since becoming mayor in 2014, de Blasio has been irritated by Cuomo’s ability to annul him in political initiatives in New York City.
When the two Democrats clashed in 2015 over control of the mayor of New York schools, de Blasio attacked Cuomo, telling reporters that: “If anyone openly disagrees with him, some kind of revenge or revenge will follow him.”
Cuomo rejected De Blasio’s claim.
“My way is just the opposite and the proof is in the pudding,” Cuomo told NY1 at the time. He added that de Blasio was “frustrated” for not “getting everything he wanted”.
Former Syracuse Mayor Stephanie Miner, a former Cuomo ally, detailed an adverse relationship with the governor in a 2015 interview with the New York Times. She told the newspaper that Cuomo used to exert pressure through the media.
Miner said his conduct “takes the form of anonymous threats and also from third parties coming at you and threatening”.
Meanwhile, Cuomo’s allies and top advisers describe his dogged approach to politics as a need to succeed in New York’s difficult political landscape.
“New Yorkers want employees who can run the government and work with the legislature to end the stalemate,” Rich Azzopardi, a longtime Cuomo adviser, told the Times that year.
Cuomo’s leadership during the early months of the coronavirus pandemic received rave reviews in some circles. Last November, the governor received an Emmy award in honor of his handling of the situation in New York and his “masterful use of television to inform and calm people around the world”.
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This month’s reaction to the New York nursing home scandal – Cuomo’s public feud with Kim – sparked a riot among state lawmakers, several of whom signed a letter calling for the revocation of the governor’s Emmy award.
Meanwhile, Cuomo’s office said its focus remains on combating the pandemic, not on political disputes.
“While these politicians may have enough free time to write stormy letters and issue self-important press releases, our focus remains on vaccinating as many people as humanly possible and leading the state during this public health crisis,” said the spokesman. Cuomo’s voice, Jack Sterne, in response to the letter. “New Yorkers have seen the governor appear and fight on his behalf every day for almost a year, which is why they support their actions to defeat COVID by a large margin.”