7 August 2021: Editorial - Cuomo Has "No Credible Defense"

Cuomo’s lawyers just proved he has no credible defense

The New York Post's editors parsed the statements made by Cuomo attorney Rita Glavin alleging Andrew M. Cuomo was "ambushed" and find a curious absence.

Late Friday afternoon, Cuomo’s lawyers held a virtual press conference insisting the gov “was ambushed” by a “predetermined” investigation.

“He is 63 years old. He has been in public life for four decades,” Rita Glavin groused. “For him to be all of a sudden accused of sexual assault by an executive assistant he doesn’t really know doesn’t pass muster.”

Sorry, but again: There were 11 accusers. They can’t all be lying. And there are charges of unlawful retaliation, too. These young women showed bravery in standing up to the state’s highest elected official — whose bullying has been an open secret for years. The executive assistant, who says the gov groped her breast under her blouse, has now filed a criminal complaint with the Albany Sheriff’s Office.

Glavin called Lindsey Boylan’s accusation a “campaign strategy” in her run for Manhattan borough president, but she said little to actually refute the charge. And she didn’t at all address one of the report’s most shocking stories, that of a state trooper Cuomo bent the rules to get on his protective detail, only to sexually harass her.

When a reporter asked Glavin why Cuomo, after just one encounter, thought the woman (who lacked the necessary experience) would be excellent for the job, she said, “He met the trooper and thought she was impressive” — and wanted more diversity on his detail. What made him think she was impressive? She made “eye contact” and was “assertive,” Glavin said. That’s the standard he used to select someone to guard his life? Please.

We think Glavin may still be pursuing a political strategy intended to keep Andrew M. Cuomo in office. With the filing of a criminal complaint by one of his victims, Glavin may soon have to come up with a more compelling defense strategy to keep Andrew M. Cuomo out of state prison.