Cuomo ad seeks to discredit sexual harassment probe

ALBANY – Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo launched an ad Monday seeking to discredit a sexual harassment investigation against him, sparking an array of women’s organizations to say he’s the one spreading disinformation.

Cuomo, using campaign funds, is out with a 30-second advertisement noting that no prosecutor filed charges filed against him following a report by Attorney General Letitia James that concluded he sexually harassed multiple women.

The ex-governor stitches together snippets of news reports to assert: "Political attacks won. And New York lost a proven leader."

Cuomo resigned in August in the face of a fast-moving impeachment process that didn’t just focus on James’ report. The state Assembly impeachment inquiry also focused on his nursing home policies and use of state personnel and services to produce a lucrative pandemic memoir.

Further, the local prosecutors who declined to file charges didn’t say they rejected James’ findings. Instead, they said they found accusers’ accounts credible – that Cuomo allegedly had kissed, groped or made inappropriate comments – but didn’t rise to the level of criminal charges under state law. One district attorney specifically said his decision not to press charges was not an exoneration.

The release of the ad prompted a number of women’s organizations to issue a statement criticizing Cuomo for "using campaign to spread misinformation."

"This attempt to claim exoneration won’t work. Shame on serial harasser Andrew Cuomo," read the statement signed by groups including Eleanor’s Legacy, The Feminist Institute and NY Birth Control Action Fund.

The Cuomo ad is expected to run on broadcast and cable television, and on digital media platforms, around the state, a spokesman said.