6 August 2021: The Shady Operations of Cuomo's Influence Network

Ex-Cuomo aides helped shape a defense as accusations mounted

It appears that Andrew M. Cuomo invested a lot of time and effort to create an influence network. Much like how a foreign power deploys intelligence officers to run its spy networks, using them to obtain information and to either recruit or influence people within the countries they have been deployed to extend the interests of their home country, it appears the Cuomo administration did much the same, with its loyalists successfully embedded into outside organizations where they could continue their primary mission of supporting Andrew M. Cuomo's political interests. This report from the Albany Times-Union picks up on several of the individual threads threads we featured earlier today on this very topic.

Last December, a former economic development aide to Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo became the first woman to publicly accuse him of sexual harassment, tweeting that Cuomo was “one of the biggest abusers of all time.”

Lindsey Boylan’s decision to come forward, at a time when Cuomo was still nationally popular, set off a furious internal debate in Cuomo’s camp about how and whether to retaliate. And as a political crisis grew in the following months, quiet conversations about how to combat the allegations did not just include current Cuomo staffers, but also an array of former high-ranking administration officials, most of whom now work for private interests.

Those details are revealed in a 168-page report issued on Tuesday by state Attorney General Letitia James, which finds Cuomo and his members of his administration had allegedly violated both state and federal laws, including by retaliating against Boylan. While Cuomo denied the report’s conclusion that he sexually harassed women over the course of years, the findings have prompted the state Assembly to hasten impeachment proceedings.

As Cuomo faces the likely prospect of removal, also at risk are the reputations of members of his inner circle, whose emails, texts and group chats are extensively detailed in the report, and made public in attached exhibits. They show that some of the advisors were deeply involved in the efforts, others on the periphery. Some also urge caution about shaming accusers.

Still, after Boylan’s tweets last December, Cuomo’s top government staffer soon decided to leak Boylan’s confidential personnel file, against the advice of some in the tight-knit circle. Certain Cuomo confidants — including several involved in prominent groups that fight discrimination — advised Cuomo about a proposed op-ed attacking Boylan, which was never published. And at least one former staffer was enlisted to find out whether a woman allegedly harassed by Cuomo was speaking to the media.

Richard Azzopardi, Cuomo’s longtime spokesman and one of his most ardent defenders, testified to investigators that the outside advisors were “people who have been with us for a long time who we could trust.”

“When you feel like you’re in battle, you turn to those you trust,” Azzopardi testified....

None of the outside advisors was officially retained by the Executive Chamber. Instead, they quietly did the work on a volunteer basis while holding day jobs for private interests.

Here's an excerpt from the report indicating Cuomo was at the center of his administration's influence operation:

Cuomo directed DeRosa to seek input from “some of the folks on the team,” including Roberta Kaplan, a New York City-based attorney and co-founder of the Time's Up Legal Defense Fund, an organization that supports individuals “who've experienced sexual harassment or retaliation at work to come forward.” (Kaplan was also the private counsel to DeRosa during the attorney general's investigation.)

Having Roberta Kaplan on Team Cuomo is significant because the Time's Up Legal Defense Fund is ostensibly an advocacy group whose purpose is to help victims of sexual harassment. Using her to get other members of the Time's Up group on board in supporting Cuomo against his sexual harassment would effectively defang the organization in his political favor.

This report also describes the Cuomo administration's efforts to use its influence network to smear the reputations of the investigators probing the multiple allegations of Andrew M. Cuomo's conduct. Do click through to read the whole thing!

Update: Here is yet another story of the extended Cuomo influence network doing Cuomo's bidding....