(Headline USA) Disgraced former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo claimed this week he has been “vindicated” and said he will not rule out another run for office.
Cuomo was forced to resign six months ago after an investigation by state Attorney General Letitia James found that he had been credibly accused of sexual harassment by multiple women.
However, several district attorneys announced they would not prosecute Cuomo, claiming there is not enough “sufficient legal basis” to press criminal charges.
“In no way should this decision be interpreted as casting doubt upon the character or credibility of [the victim], or how harmful the acts she experienced were,” one of the district attorneys said last week.
“This investigation makes clear what victims, their advocates, police, and prosecutors have said for years: The current sex offense statutes in New York fail to properly hold offenders accountable and fail to adequately protect victims,” added the DA.
However, amid a nationwide scourge of corrupt prosecutors deciding arbitrarily not to uphold the law for political reasons, many remained skeptical of the underlying motives for dropping the charges.
Cuomo, on the other hand, reportedly believes prosecutors’ decision not to press charges absolves him of any wrongdoing.
“It turns out in a remarkably short period of time that it did become all bogus—11 became zero,” he told Bloomberg, undercounting the number of victims, which ranges anywhere from a dozen to more than 30.
“If you do an honest summary, which is what I get from people on the street, I have been vindicated,” Cuomo claimed.
When asked whether he still sees a future for himself in politics, Cuomo would not give a definitive answer but said he cannot move forward until the investigation into the allegations made against him has been proven “false.”
“I’m still focused on communicating what happened here. Because as a precedent, it has to be exposed,” Cuomo said. “Vindication is not the reason to run for office.”
Another report from the Wall Street Journal revealed that Cuomo and his team are working to boost his reputation.
As part of this effort, he was seen dining with New York City Mayor Eric Adams. He also plans to hold a public event soon, which would be his first since resigning last August.
