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“It Was A Stump Speech": Letitia James Tests Waters At Power Breakfast While Defending Cuomo Report
By
Brigid Bergin
Published Sep 29, 2021
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By
Brigid Bergin
Published Sep 29, 2021
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New York State Attorney General Letitia James delivered a full-throated defense of her office’s investigation into sexual harassment allegations against former Governor Andrew Cuomo, her first and most pointed comments on the 168-page report which ultimately led to his resignation, while at the same time testing what many heard as a stump speech for a potential run for governor.
“Until now, I’ve chosen to take the high road, I’ve chosen not to respond in detail — but that ends today,” she told a gathering of the Association of A Better New York (ABNY), a group comprised of the city business and civic leaders, who were meeting in Lower Manhattan for their first in-person event in nearly two years.
In a tone that was deliberate and unwavering, James sought to respond to the ongoing criticism from supporters of the former governor that her investigation was tainted by politics. She began by noting that it was Cuomo himself who referred the sexual harassment allegations to her office for investigation. She then contrasted the work her office did with the work Cuomo oversaw when he was state Attorney General, investigating Governor Eliot Spitzer.
By comparison, she said his office took only 20 days to investigate Spitzer using in-house counsel. She cited her hiring of outside investigators, “because they have the experience,” and the five months they took to interview 179 people and review thousands of pieces of evidence.
Repeatedly referring to him as, “Mr. Cuomo,” she said that evidence her investigators found supported the women’s claims against him. Then she took aim at his conduct since the report’s release, where he has sought to make her the target of criticism.
“He’s never held himself accountable for how his behavior affected our state government. So let’s not lose sight of what’s important,” said James. “It’s not me. It’s not Mr. Cuomo. It’s the survivors of his harassment.”
James then pivoted to her vision of how government should work, calling out the way the state’s Department of Health made politically motivated decisions during the pandemic, and blasting the agency’s handling of nursing home death data, another area her office investigated.
“When it came time to make life and death decisions about COVID patients, when it came time to share information about COVID deaths, about the safety of our most vulnerable in nursing homes, the question wasn't what's best for New Yorkers,” said James. “The question was always viewed through the political lens, what's best for some individuals and as a result, many left the Department of Health,” she added.
James said agencies should be allowed to operate with autonomy, bringing their policy expertise to bear while leaving politics out of the equation.
Notably she called for abolishing the state’s ethics commission, the Joint Commission on Public Ethics (JCOPE), a weak and widely criticized body that has been seen as toothless and politically-motivated. Instead she said it should be replaced with, “an independent accountable authority.”
“Our state ethics body JCOPE was designed to fail. Maybe that's why it's known as J-joke,” she said. “It's embarrassing.” Currently, the commissioners on the body are appointed by the governor and state legislative leaders, the same people whose conduct they are supposed to be policing.
When asked directly by the event’s host, ABNY chairman Steven Rubenstein, whether she planned to run for governor, James played coy: “I am focusing on my work, putting my head down, serving all of you as the Attorney General and I must leave you now to pursue that work.”
With that, James left without taking any additional questions.
The rousing speech was met with a standing ovation from the packed ballroom at the Marriott on West Street, with many attendees describing it as an obvious test run for a future gubernatorial bid.
“I think it was a stump speech that she was practicing on this audience for [a run for] governor,” said George Artz, a long-time campaign and communications consultant. “And everyone in the room after listening to that speech knows she’s running for governor,” he added.
If she does decide to run, he said James would be a tough candidate for any challenger to beat, while also acknowledging that Governor Kathy Hochul has the current advantage of incumbency. “But Tish is well-practiced, knows the state and is very popular within her own base,” he said.
Even those still unsure what office she would run for described being excited by the prospect of her candidacy, particularly among women elected officials in the room.
“I thought she laid out a vision for multiple state offices and I thought she was hopeful and very, very prepared to let this community in particular know what she would do to support them,” said City Council member Carlina Rivera.
The chatter about potential gubernatorial candidates continues to get louder. James’ address came just a day after Public Advocate Jumaane Williams announced his own plan to launch an exploratory committee for a potential run for governor. Mayor Bill de Blasio, who will be term-limited out of office at the end of the year, also has not ruled out a run for as the state’s chief executive.
“I want to serve and I’m going to figure out the right way to serve and the right time to serve,” de Blasio said at his daily briefing on Wednesday.
This was the first ABNY breakfast in 21 months, held at a Marriott hotel just steps from Ground Zero. The last speaker who addressed the group was Brooklyn Borough president and Democratic mayoral nominee Eric Adams.
That point was not lost on James, who used the likely next mayor’s appearance as a way to tease the audience about her own potential next steps.
“Eric Adams was here last and now he is the Democratic nominee. And here I am, Letitia James, and so, who knows,” she said, chuckling. “Don’t read anything into that.”
Brigid Bergin
Brigid Bergin is an award-winning senior reporter on the People and Power desk. She is fiercely committed to telling stories that help people engage and support democracy. In 2022, she hosted a live, ten-week call-in politics show ahead of the midterm elections called The People's Guide to Power. Brigid's reporting in 2017 included some of the first coverage of a political newcomer now known as AOC. In 2016, she broke the news of a voter purge in Brooklyn just days before New York’s presidential primary, triggering city, state and federal investigations. Brigid also guest hosts The Brian Lehrer Show and All Of It. She graduated from the University at Albany and the CUNY Newmark School of Journalism. Got a tip? Email [email protected] or Signal 917-723-4719.
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