Will Slimy Tyrant Cuomo Stay or Go?

KIM: Based on our investigation, we concluded that the executive chamber’s workplace culture — one rife with bullying, fear, and intimidation on the one hand, while normalizing frequent flirtations and gender-based comments from the governor on the other — created the conditions that allowed the sexual harassment and retaliation to occur and to persist.

BUCK: Welcome back to the Clay Travis & Buck Sexton Show. I’m Buck, and with me here in studio in NYC, the capital of vaccination mandate madness, is my man Clay Travis. And we were just hearing there from Joon Kim, former acting Manhattan U.S. attorney, who was brought in as part of the investigation against the formidable, in New York state politics, Governor Andrew Cuomo who, Clay, is now officially found by this report…

Now, this isn’t a criminal trial. It’s not a jury. But this is what the official investigation of the State of New York Office of the Attorney General led by Letitia James, what they found was essentially Cuomo said creepy things, grabbed women who worked for him, did unwanted touching, including unwanted touching of sensitive areas. This guy was a serial sexual harasser in violation of state and federal laws, created a toxic workplace, and even retaliated against women who came forward to speak out against this. Pretty damning report as these things can go, Clay. What do you make of it?

CLAY: No doubt. Also, this report included previously unreported allegations including from a state trooper assigned to his protective detail. I used to do, in my previous life, sexual harassment investigations internally for companies when they got complaints. So I have pretty decent experience for what it’s like to sit across the table from someone, go through these details, hear their side of the story.

And remember, Cuomo cooperated with the investigation and denied all of the allegations. In my experience, I’ve never seen… It was always a woman alleging that she was sexually harassed by a man. I’ve never had anybody admit, “Hey, I did it.” It’s almost unheard of in a sexual harassment investigation for someone to wave their hand and say, “Oh, you know, what? I did behave inappropriately.” A lot of times this is a he said/she said sort of relationship.

But happened here appears to be such a systemic issue that it’s not one woman, and it’s not any one incident. This may happen during the course of today’s show. There are reports that Cuomo is going to respond to this investigation and provide, in some way, a further defense. But, Buck, I think we have to almost spin this story forward and ask, “Are these allegations so significant now that they have been in many ways confirmed by the attorney general of New York and validated? Is Andrew Cuomo gonna be able to stay in office or not?”

And there’s interesting case examination politically that we can think of. I think most Democrats now, Buck, would agree it was unfortunate and probably not accurate for Minnesota Senator Al Franken to lose his Senate job over #MeToo allegations. But these are so significant, pervasive, and directly related to his job that I would imagine Joe Biden’s gonna have to weigh in soon and that I find it hard to believe that Andrew Cuomo’s gonna remain the governor of New York. Now, what do you think?

BUCK: I think he stays.

CLAY: You think he’s gonna fight it?

BUCK: I think King Cuomo is going to take this to the very end. I think you’d have to have the New York state legislature vote to remove him from office, which is Democrat dominated. They absolutely would not do that if he forced their hand. I don’t see it. I think he’s going to say one of two things. By the way, he is set to respond soon. We will join him in progress, the governor of New York, if in fact that happens while we’re on air.

It looks like it’s likely to be the case. But look, Cuomo — and just by way of context here as well, has any American politician in the last couple of years — I mean, there’s a lot of bad stuff if you go far enough in American politics, but — had such a fall from grace? To go from the absolute height of Democrat love… There were people, Clay — and I remember this when I was covering it here in New York City — who referring to themselves openly the hashtag was, “Cuomosexuals.”

CLAY: Yes.

BUCK: Because he was so dreamy because he was protecting us from the pandemic because he was such a hero. He was the gold standard

CLAY: He won an Emmy! (laughing)

BUCK: His day-to-day press conferences were watched with rapt attention.

CLAY: They made a special Emmy for him, Buck.

BUCK: He was celebrated with a multiple seven-figure book deal, which is very —

CLAY: Yes.

BUCK: I mean, I think it was four or five million he was getting for a book that nobody was gonna read. It was just a payoff in the Democratic apparatus to the governor of New York. It’s a good way to sort of launder money for political influence purposes, and yet now here we are, he covered up the nursing home deaths. That’s a fact. That’s not a theory.

CLAY: Yes.

BUCK: He lied about nursing home deaths in New York state, and the sexual harassment that this report actually found was worse than what had already been reported. Here, for example, is New York Attorney General Letitia James, cut 17.

JAMES: These interviews and pieces of evidence reveal a deeply disturbing yet clear picture. Governor Cuomo sexually harassed current and former state employees in violation of both federal and state laws. The independent investigation found that Governor Cuomo sexually harassed multiple women, many of whom were young women, by engaging in unwanted groping, kisses, hugging, and by making inappropriate comments.

Further, the governor and his senior team took actions to retaliate against at least one former employee for coming forward with her story, her truth. Governor Cuomo’s administration fostered a toxic workplace and enabled harassed and enabled a hostile work environment where staffers did not feel comfortable coming forward with complaints about sexual harassment due to a climate of fear and given the power dynamics.

BUCK: A slimy tyrant. That’s what Governor Cuomo comes across as, based upon the findings of this report. He really only has two options. Okay, well, there’s resign or don’t resign. That’s one. But I mean in terms of his report when he’s going to respond. I think he’s going to try some degree of contrition and try to hide in the “I thought that it was staying within the lines. I’ve grown as a man.

“I now know and I offer my sincerest apologies,” comma, “but I still need to keep the people of New York safe from covid.” I think that’s gonna be the pivot that I tries. Because, Clay, to step down — remember his father was the governor of New York. This guy is the New York state equivalent of political royalty — and if he steps down, it’s all over. He’s ruined, and he knows it.

CLAY: Well, it’s an interesting analogy because look at what happened with Bill Clinton 20 years ago. When all the Monica Lewsinsky stories came out, a lot of people said, “Bill Clinton has got to resign; he’s gotta step down, “and instead he locked in and refused. As a result, his legacy doesn’t really get defined by Monica Lewinsky. So ego is the big part of this, and Andrew Cuomo’s ego… If he steps down, this is the end of his political career.

I believe he’s going to resign. I think he’s going to have to resign. I do. Because I think what’s gonna happen is his support in the New York legislature is gonna crumble. I think he’s gonna be aware that he’s going to be impeached. But in the meantime, this speech that he makes in responding to this, I don’t see him having a lot of great options because he’s being investigated by a New York attorney general, who is a Democrat. So it’s not as if he can say, “This is politically motivated in any way.”

BUCK: An African-American, female Democrat well known in political circles here in New York state. So it’s not a Trumper.

CLAY: Yes. And usually, you can argue if you’re being investigated, that’s Trump’s play, right? “This is a politically motivated investigation. Democrats are out to get me.”

BUCK: Well, that was true but, yeah. (laughing)

CLAY: Yeah.

BUCK: That was reality.

CLAY: That’s a good argument to make. Cuomo doesn’t have that opportunity. He doesn’t have that option. I’m curious how much of the report he has seen, and he’s going to have to attack so many different women — who, by the way, now may feel comfortable coming forward and telling their stories because the investigation has been completed, which just continues the drip, drip, drip of negative storylines surrounding it.

BUCK: That was the other option that I didn’t get to just ’cause I find it so unlikely, which is, “It’s not true.” I don’t think that’s really a play he can make here. I think if he tried that, then the crumbling support would happen. But, Clay, this is an ultimate test. And isn’t it remarkable that the #MeToo component of this is more powerful than the lying about sending covid-positive seniors into nursing homes to infect the most vulnerable and die in large numbers. I do think that needs to be said.

BREAK TRANSCRIPT

CLAY: Andrew Cuomo, 11 different women he sexually harassed, according to the New York attorney general’s findings. He is scheduled to talk at the top of the next hour. In a few minutes, we will try and go live to see what Andrew Cuomo says. Buck Sexton, do they have to take away the Emmy award? Remember, this was such a media-created show.

Everything about Andrew Cuomo was predicated on the idea that he was the anti-Trump. He was the avuncular but somewhat stern dad who was doing daily updates and briefings with his PowerPoints. He got multimillion dollars to write a book about how New York had triumphed over covid.

Even though if you look at the data, pretty clear that New York not only did worse with covid but did worse than almost any city nowhere in the world has done responding to covid. And so all of this was a media-created farce. And to your point, Buck — and I think it’s a good one — the DOJ decided they weren’t gonna look into the thousands and thousands of people who died in nursing homes because of the misguided decision by Andrew Cuomo to send back in infected patients who those nursing homes.

And it might be ironically enough the 11 different women’s stories that he sexually harassed them that ends up bringing down his tenure as the governor of New York. But, I mean, they created a special Emmy award for this guy, Buck. I don’t know that we’ve ever seen anything more ridiculous. Maybe they’re gonna have to rescind it.

BUCK: But don’t we have to also think about this in the context of, “Gee, I wonder why people don’t trust the Democrat corporate media when it comes to anything having to do with pandemic response?” Gee, I wonder. They managed to elevate this serial sexual-harassing buffoon who only has the job because of who his dad is in the first place and being the great hero right along with Fauci. I mean, remember when Fauci and Cuomo were appearing together on TV?

CLAY: Oh, yeah.

BUCK: And they were saying they were like Tango and Cash —

CLAY: (laughing)

BUCK: — or Batman and Robin or whatever, just catastrophic embarrassment. But yet he had a brother at CNN, as we know —

CLAY: Oh, yeah.

BUCK: — who was advising him. “Bro Cuomo,” as we call them. He doesn’t like to be called other things. Bro Cuomo.

CLAY: Fredo!

BUCK: Oh, you did it. You did it.

CLAY: I called him Fredo.

BUCK: You better not!

CLAY: I’m in New York. He might beat me up.

BUCK: (impression) “Yuh do that at brunch and he’s gonna t’row you down the stairs.” So, anyway, yeah, this is the reality here, folks. The governor of New York is in a position now where if he does not resign, and I think — although I could be eating these words in a matter of minutes. I don’t think he’s going anywhere because there’s no incentive for him. It doesn’t matter. He doesn’t care. How much more tattered could his reputation be by staying than by going. If he goes, he leaves, Clay, it’s like admission of guilt.

CLAY: Yeah.

BUCK: If he stays and they force him out which — that, by the way, I think could end up happening. But if he stays and they force him out, he gets to say, “This was…” Right now it wouldn’t fly to say it’s a witch hunt, but give it a year, give it 18 months and all the sudden the Cuomo brand has to make a comeback. Who’s saying he should go, by the way? I know you’ve got a list right there.

CLAY: I’m looking through the list, but I want to hit you with this tweet. Andrew Cuomo in September of 2018: “The allegations of sexual assault against Judge Kavanaugh are disturbing and deeply concerning. We owe it to the American people to #BelieverSurvivors. I call on the Senate to postpone any vote ’til these allegations are fully investigated.” Look, does he still #BelieveSurvivors now?

BUCK: No, he certainly does not. And also, the whole Kavanaugh thing was just an intelligence test. It’s not possible to be a very smart person and truly believe at your core that Brett Kavanaugh was credibly accused of anything. They couldn’t even prove that he met any of the three delusional accusers against him in the context of the actual allegations made. There was no supporting evidence whatsoever. But I digress. I’m with you, Clay. This is Democrats establishing whether there are rules or not. Look, Al Franken got fed for the wolves, so to speak.

CLAY: I think Democrats want to get that one back because of the precedent they set with that one. But this is gonna be a mess, by the way, not just for Cuomo. (chuckles) How does your boy Fredo Cuomo handle this. How does CNN continue? CNN’s got egg all over their face for the way they allowed the Cuomo brother act to go forward all throughout the covid —

BUCK: CNN is a journalism atrocity.

CLAY: Yes.

BUCK: It’s a fraud. The entire organization is engaged in a perpetual day-in-and-day-out fraud that they’re actually a news organization and not the propaganda arm of the Democrat Party operating through the prism of being a fake news organization. By the way, that’s why they’re so sensitive about being called fake news.

CLAY: Yes.

BUCK: But let’s not forget that Governor Cuomo was getting the variety show treatment during the pandemic. While thousands and thousands of people are dying, Cuomo’s appearing with Bro Cuomo on CNN air in primetime talking about how, “Mom called. Why didn’t you call her back? Ha-ha-ha.” It was all so funny and cute, right? Yeah, we’ll see if there’s any consequences for this guy. You got another one?

CLAY: Yeah. Look. We were just talking about Chris Cuomo. He testified as a part of the New York AG investigation and confirmed that he was part of a small team of advisers that helped respond to the sexual harassment claims while being employed by CNN.

BUCK: If CNN had any ethics —

CLAY: At all.

BUCK: — he would have to go too. But fortunately for Bro Cuomo, CNN does not.

CLAY: Zero ethics. But we’ll see.