New York Attorney General Letitia James branded ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo a ‘sick, pathetic man’ Sunday, after the disgraced democrat asserted that ‘cancel culture’ is what spurred his resignation last year.  

On Sunday at the God’s Battalion of Prayer Church in Brooklyn, Cuomo, 64, said ‘cancel culture’ caused his downfall last summer, and called investigations into the allegations against him ‘prosecutorial misconduct.’

The remarks, made during Cuomo’s first public appearance since leaving office last August, did not sit well with state prosecutor James, whose investigations last August concluded the then-Governor sexually harassed 11 women, causing him to resign. 

‘Serial sexual harasser Andrew Cuomo won’t even spare a house of worship from his lies,’ James, 63, said in a scathing statement issued by her office Sunday, hours after Cuomo’s ‘cancel culture’ assertion.

‘Even though multiple independent investigations found his victims to be credible, Cuomo wasn’t railroaded; he quit so he wouldn’t be impeached,’ James wrote of the three-term governor’s declaration.

James then offered a declaration of her own, postulating that the people of New York are fed-up with Cuomo, his alleged actions, and the controversy surrounding them.

‘New Yorkers are ready to move forward from this sick, pathetic man.’   

Cuomo’s speech earlier that day addressed sexual harassment allegations found to be ‘credible’ by James’ office last year – as well as CNN’s subsequent firing of his news anchor brother Chris – and saw the politician hint at a potential comeback.    

‘I’ve gone through a very difficult time these past few months,’ Cuomo began. ‘I resigned as governor, the press roasted me, my colleagues were ridiculed. My brother was fired. It was ugly… it was one of the roughest times of my life.’  

Speaking from the podium at the East Flatbush church, Cuomo quoted the Bible several times as he described his travails then went on the offensive to attack the ‘political sharks’ in Albany who, he said, ‘smelled blood’ and exploited the situation for political gain.  

‘My father used to say that government is an honorable profession but that politics can be a dirty business,’ he said. ‘That is especially true today when politics is so mean and extreme. When even the Democratic Party chooses to cancel people in the face of disagreement.’

Cuomo went on to add, ‘But the political sharks in Albany smelled blood and exploited the situation for their own political purpose.’

The Democrat resigned in August 2021, days after an independent probe found he sexually harassed nearly a dozen women and that he and aides worked to retaliate against an accuser.  

‘The actions against me were prosecutorial misconduct,’ Cuomo said, repeating a theme he has pushed from the outset. ‘They used cancel culture to effectively overturn an election.’ 

‘Now, cancel culture creates another major problem for the democratic party,’ Cuomo continued, before honing in on the subject of infighting among Democrats – which he said was spurred by cancel culture – and New York’s current crime and homeless epidemic.

‘We just heard from national elections, and the democrats lost,’ he said.

‘Now, the democrats are nervous about the midterm elections – and we should be.’

The ex-governor then offered an analogy for the impending doom that he says the city and party are set to face in the near future, as a result of the modern movement, mostly championed by Democrats and other progressives.

‘When you are driving down the road, and there is a flashing sign, and the flashing signs says, “Cliff Ahead,” pay attention. We should be worried about the midterms. 

‘The democratic party is spending too much time arguing amongst themselves, cancelling each other, and pontificating about their ideal, rather than focus on what’s real.’ 

‘Do you know what’s real?’ a charismatic Cuomo asked the crowd? ‘What’s real is schools in poor areas that don’t teach – that’s real.’

He went on: ‘Public housing without heat, homeless on the streets, muggings in subways, young people dying everyday, crime and grime. New York City going backwards, not forwards. That’s what’s real, to you and to us.’

The politician went on to acknowledge that some of his alleged behavior uncovered in James’ investigation wasn’t appropriate, but quickly added that nothing he did violated the law. He argued that there is a ‘new sensitivity’ with younger people. 

‘I didn’t appreciate how fast the perspectives changed,’ he added, before eventually hinting at a potential political comeback. ‘I’ve learned a powerful lesson and paid a very high price for learning that lesson. 

‘God isn’t finished with me yet,’ he told the congregants.

 ‘I have many options in life and I’m open to all of them.’

Several district attorneys in New York said they found Cuomo’s accusers ‘credible,’ but said the available evidence wasn’t strong enough to press criminal charges against him. 

Last month, a New York state trooper sued him claiming he caused her severe mental anguish and emotional distress by touching her inappropriately and making suggestive comments. A Cuomo spokesperson called the suit a ‘cheap cash extortion.’ 

Cuomo used his platform Sunday mostly to condemn a social media-fueled climate he said is growing and dangerous.

‘Any accusation can trigger condemnation without facts or due process,’ he said. ‘We are a nation of laws, not a nation of tweets. Woe unto us if we allow that to become our new justice system.’ 

He apologized for his behavior multiple times, while still alluding to the fact that several Attorney Generals’ investigations led to no convictions. 

‘Tens of millions of dollars were spent on investigations… your money!’ he said. 

Cuomo then slammed the firing of his brother, Chris Cuomo, by CNN. He said, ‘cancel culture mentality is growing, and it must be stopped.’ 

‘He was fired because giants like CNN, Time Warner, AT&T, and big shots like John Malone and John Stankey were in the middle of a merger, and even they were afraid of the cancel culture mob,’ Cuomo said. ‘And when they have to raise their hand and tell the truth, you will know.’ 

Returning several times to a Biblical metaphor of crossing a bridge to describe his journey, Cuomo hinted he won’t stay out of the spotlight.

‘The Bible teaches perseverance, it teaches us to get off the mat,’ he said. ‘They broke my heart but they didn’t break my spirit. I want to take the energy that could have made me bitter and make us better.’ 

Cuomo ended the speech Sunday, saying ‘if you want to cancel something — cancel the federal gridlock, cancel the incompetence, cancel the infighting. Cancel crime, cancel homelessness. Cancel education inequality. Cancel poverty. Cancel racism.’

‘Be outraged, but be outraged at what really matters — and that is what matters to you.’  

Cuomo’s political legacy began crumbling in December 2020, when former aide Lindsey Bolan became the first woman to go public with her sexual harassment claims against him.

Other accusers soon followed. 

Cuomo denied the mounting allegations, and refused all calls to resign – until the release last August of James’ report, which included an allegation by former aide Brittany Commisso who claimed he groped her breast in the executive mansion in November 2020.

Commisso was the first accuser to take her sexual assault claims to police, but Albany County’s district attorney dropped the case last month, claiming there was not enough evidence to secure a conviction. 

Prosecutors in two other New York districts have also said Cuomo will not face criminal charges after two women, including a state trooper, alleged that he planted unwanted kisses on their cheeks.

Last month, Cuomo released an attack ad against NY Attorney General Letitia James where he depicts himself as the victim of a ‘political attack.’ 

In a move that appeared to signal his return to the political arena, the video slammed an investigation led by James’ office that found he sexually harassed 11 women. He has not been criminally charged, and investigations by DAs found that there was not enough evidence to prosecute him.

The bombshell investigation led to Cuomo’s resignation last August and although he briefly retreated from the public eye, he recently reemerged with some speculating he could challenge James in the upcoming election. 

The 30-second video contains various snippets from news organizations criticizing the investigation. 

The ad also highlights reports that said the investigation involved ‘witness tampering and perjury’ and that it besmirched the reputation of an ‘innocent man.’ 

‘Political attacks won,’ the ad says in its closing caption. ‘And New Yorkers lost a proven leader.’

A spokesperson for James told a DailyMail.com that ‘the only thing Andrew Cuomo has proven himself to be is a serial sexual harasser and a threat to women in the workplace – no TV ad can change that.’ 

‘It’s shameful that after multiple investigations found Cuomo’s victims to be credible, he continues to attack their accounts rather than take responsibility for his own actions,’ the spokesperson said.

Earlier last month, Cuomo through his attorney Rita Galvin announced plans to submit a written complaint to the state’s Attorney Grievance Committee to highlight ethics concerns in the investigation. 

‘He will not let this go,’ his lawyer, Rita Glavin, said during an online press conference. 

‘It is insulting to tell someone, when they have been treated wrongly and unfairly, to just move on. He is not going to move on.’

Cuomo has repeatedly lashed out at James’ investigation, positioning himself as a victim of a political attack; he has previously joked that AG stands for ‘aspiring governor.’

He wasn’t bluffing about James, 63, having aspirations of higher office, however. She announced last October plans to run against Governor Kathy Hatchel in the upcoming election but backed out months later after failing to raise enough money.  

There have been rumblings of Cuomo planning a return to public office for months.

In the video, news anchors are heard saying James ‘may have turned a blind eye to crucial details’ and that the investigation ‘created more questions about the politicization of the process.’ 

He’s hinted at running against James in the November election via comments he’s made about the fellow Democrat and New York’s current political climate, political insiders told the Wall Street Journal.

The state’s Democratic chairman Jay Jacobs said Cuomo is working to restore his reputation after the report found he sexually harassed 11 women. 

‘He’s most interested in clearing his name,’ Jacobs told the Journal. ‘My advice would be, he needs time to pass before any moves to re-enter public life. But is that possible in the future? In America, anything’s possible.’