[ad_1]
The assertion by New York State Democrat Ron Kim this week that Governor Andrew Cuomo threatened to “destroy” him in an argument over the retirement home crisis in the State, marked the latest case in which a political rival accused the longtime governor of bullying tactics.
Cuomo and Kim engaged in a public war of words over what happened during a phone call between the two last week, hours after the New York Post reported that one of the governor’s aides , Melissa DeRosa, had admitted her office withheld data on COVID-19 deaths in nursing homes.
In a series of media appearances, Kim alleged that Cuomo threatened to ruin the MP’s career unless he backtracked his remarks to the Post in which he said the administration was “trying to avoid have incriminating evidence ”.
CUOMO ADMINISTRATOR’S MANAGEMENT OF NY NURSING HOME CRISIS INVESTIGATED BY US LAWYER, FBI: REPORT
While a senior official denied that the governor ever threatened to “destroy” Kim, New York Mayor Bill de Blasio, another frequent Cuomo fighter, backed Kim’s claims during an MSNBC appearance. . The mayor suggested that Cuomo’s behavior was part of a long history of bullying.
“Sad to say, but it’s an Andrew Cuomo classic. A lot of people in New York State have received these phone calls. Bullying is nothing new,” said by Blasio.
Cuomo representatives did not immediately return a request for comment on Blasio’s remarks.
CNN CLAIM HE REINSTALL THE ‘RULE’ THAT GETS CHRIS CUOMO FROM HIS BROTHER’S COVER AS THE NURSING HOUSE SCANDAL GROWS
Claims that Cuomo is a “tyrant” to his political rivals predate the nursing home scandal. Actress Cynthia Nixon, who ran unsuccessfully against Cuomo in the 2018 Democratic Governor of New York primary, has repeatedly attacked the governor for his conduct during the election campaign.
“We’ve all seen it: Andrew the bully,” Nixon said at a press 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 by referring to ‘your little questions’.”
Marc Molinaro, who challenged Cuomo in 2018 on the Republican ticket, made a similar point at the time.
“Look, we’ve all been through it,” Molinaro said, according to Politico.
CUOMO ANSWERS A DEMOCRATIC LAWYER WHO ASKS THE GOVERNOR SAYS THAT HE “DESTROY” HIM: “MR. KIM MENT ‘
The animosity between Cuomo and de Blasio, who regularly clashed over state and city politics during the coronavirus pandemic, goes back even further. Since becoming mayor in 2014, de Blasio has bristled at Cuomo’s ability to overthrow him on political initiatives in New York City.
When the two Democrats clashed in 2015 over mayor’s control of New York City schools, de Blasio lashed out at Cuomo, telling reporters that “If anyone openly disagrees with him, a sort of revenge or vendetta ensues “.
Cuomo denied de Blasio’s request.
“My path is the exact opposite and the proof is in the pudding,” Cuomo told NY1 at the time. He added that de Blasio was “frustrated” that he did not “get everything he wanted”.
Former Syracuse mayor Stephanie Miner, a former ally of Cuomo, detailed a conflicted relationship with the governor in a 2015 interview with the New York Times. She told the newspaper that Cuomo frequently exerted pressure through the media.
Miner said his conduct “takes the form of anonymous threats and also of third parties coming at you and threatening.”
Meanwhile, Cuomo’s allies and key aides describe his hard-line approach to politics as a necessity to succeed in New York’s difficult political landscape.
“New Yorkers want officials who can run government and work with the Legislature to end the deadlock,” Rich Azzopardi, a longtime Cuomo adviser, told The Times that year.
Cuomo’s leadership during the first months of the coronavirus pandemic drew rave reviews in some circles. Last November, the governor received an Emmy Award commemorating his handling of the situation in New York City and his “masterful use of television to inform and calm people around the world.”
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
This month, the backlash over the New York nursing home scandal – Cuomo’s public spitting out with Kim – sparked an uprising among state lawmakers, several of whom signed a letter calling for the removal. of the Governor’s Emmy Award.
Meanwhile, Cuomo’s office has said his focus remains fighting the pandemic, not political conflict.
“While these politicians may have enough free time to write blustery letters and issue important press releases, our goal clearly remains to immunize as many people as humanly possible and to guide the state through this public health crisis.” Cuomo spokesman Jack Sterne said. response to the letter. “New Yorkers have seen the governor come forward and fight on their behalf every day for almost a year, and that’s why they support his actions to defeat COVID by a wide margin.”
[ad_2]
Source link