A 30-second advertisement titled “Politics Against the Law” claims that Kuoma has been acquitted of sexual harassment charges against several women.
Cuoma resigned last summer following a blatant report by Attorney General Leticia James, and his team said the ad was created to “inform New Yorkers about the rejection of the Attorney General’s findings by five separate district attorneys, and expose revelations of prosecutorial violations. her report. “
RELATED | Andrew Cuoma sued New York State officials for sexually harassing her
“The accusations are flying around the world at the speed of light, but the truth is creeping at the speed of a snail,” said Kuoma spokesman Rich Atsapardi. “We will continue to report the facts to New Yorkers: AG knowingly and intentionally ignored evidence of perjury, witness falsification and extortion and hid exculpatory evidence when it misled the public in its fictitious report last August.”
In response, Attorney General Leticia James issued a statement in which advertising exploded.
“The only thing Andrew Cuoma has proven himself to be is a serial sexual harassment and a threat to women in the workplace, no TV commercial can change that,” she said. “It’s a shame that after repeated investigations have recognized that Kuoma’s victims are credible, he continues to attack their accounts rather than take responsibility for his own actions.”
Nine women’s rights organizations called on Cuoma to take responsibility and accused him of spreading misinformation.
“Instead of taking responsibility, serial sexual harasser Andrew Cuoma continues to challenge the victims’ accounts,” the statement said. “Many investigations have found that the accounts of these women are credible. The media should stop giving a platform to abusers like Kuoma. According to recent public opinion polls, New Yorkers believe that women who courageously declared abuse of Kuoma believe that Kuoma was the right to leave office in disgrace. This attempt to demand release will not work. Shame on serial sexual harasser Andrew Cuomo. “
Among the organizations that signed the statement:
–Gena Bimbi, executive director of the New York Foundation for Birth Control
–Luba Grehen Shirley, founder and CEO of Vote Mama
–Catlin Landy, Executive Director, Feminist Institute
–Catherine Lederer-Plaskett, President / Chair of WCLA – matters of choice
–Sophie Neer, CEO, Eleanor’s Legacy
–Jamila Pringle-Fiennes, President of the Black Women’s Political Club of New York
–Heidi Sick, co-founder and CEO, #VoteProChoice
–Marty Speranza Wong, CEO of Amplify Her
–Executive Executive Team, Women of Color for Progress
RELATED | Cuoma files ethics complaint against Attorney General James over allegations of sexual misconduct
Eyewitness News reporter Christine Thorne tried to talk on camera with James at an event Monday afternoon in Long Island City. James said she would not comment on the ad on camera, and referred to a written statement from her Eyewitness News office.
Political strategist Hank Scheinkopf said that if advertising contributes to Kuoma’s reputation, we can see more of his advertising.
“Everyone has a future in politics, no matter what they do,” he said. “Not counting Andrew Cuomo.”
One of Cuoma’s accusers, Charlotte Bennett, said on Instagram that Cuoma is lying to herself and everyone else.
“To perpetuate this great lie, he spends time and money looking for coverage in the press through punitive PowerPoint programs and deceptive TV commercials,” she wrote.
Lawyer Gloria Allred represented one of the women who accused Cuomo of sexual harassment. She said she was worried that people would think that because district attorneys had not prosecuted Cuomo, the claims against him were untrue.
“In a way, this (advertisement) suggests that the prosecutors who made these allegations may not have had to trust the New York Attorney General because refusing to prosecute has nothing to do with it,” she said. .
Eyewithness News asked Kuoma’s spokesman if the former governor had plans for the future. Rich Acapardi said Cuoma is now focused on making New Yorkers know the truth about the Attorney General’s investigation and “the future is the future.”
Cuoma’s commercials will be broadcast nationwide on both broadcast and cable television, as well as digitally.
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