Embattled New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat, raised more than $1 million during a recent fundraising event, despite being the target of numerous investigations into alleged sexual harassment and his callous mishandling of the coronavirus pandemic.
Cuomo held a fundraiser on Tuesday that required each attendant to pay $10,000 up front. There were more than 150 donors in attendance, according to the Wall Street Journal.
“Everyone was posing for pictures like nothing was going on,” said one person who has attended several Cuomo fundraisers.
During the event, Cuomo attempted to pivot to the center, framing himself as a moderate alternative to the radicals who had hijacked the state, even though he, as a two-term governor, set the climate for them to do so.
Cuomo seemed particularly eager to pin New York City’s recent urban decay on City Hall instead of the policies laid out in the upstate capital of Albany.
He went after leftists, specifically socialists, who were “living in a fantasy land.”
He also attacked the ‘Defund the Police’ movement, which has led to a massive uptick in crime under the watch of New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, a fellow Democrat but longtime nemesis of Cuomo’s.
The report comes as the New York state Assembly is ramping up its wide-ranging investigations into Cuomo for a possible impeachment. This week, the lawmakers announced they will soon begin issuing subpoenas to corroborate existing evidence.
“The purpose of this process is to both gather substantive evidence, as well as to assess the credibility and corroborate information learned during interviews,” Democratic Assemblyman Charles Lavine said.
New York Attorney General Letitia James is conducting a separate investigation into the allegations against Cuomo as well. She began issuing subpoenas months ago, and her office has reportedly interviewed several Cuomo officials.
In addition to sexual misconduct allegations, James’s investigation is also said to be looking into reports that Cuomo directed state health officials to give special COVID-19 testing access to his family members; that he allegedly used state resources to promote his coronavirus memoir; and that he intentionally hid the true number of coronavirus deaths in New York’s nursing homes to avoid a federal investigation.
However, Democratic State Committee Chairman Jay Jacobs said it shouldn’t come as a surprise that Cuomo still enjoys establishment support.
“Everybody needs to remember: The governor is the governor and he’s got strong support from the party and the chairs generally,” he said.
