HEAT ON CUOMO CLERGY MEET
Sitdown with group led by anti-gay pol outrages activists
Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo is continuing his political rehabilitation tour with plans to later this week address a group of Hispanic ministers in the Bronx led by controversial ex-City Councilman Ruben Diaz Sr.
The meeting, expected to take place Thursday at Diaz’s Christian Community Neighborhood Church in the South Bronx, will feature dozens of ministers from the New York Hispanic Clergy Organization, and the goal is to “have a conversation” with Cuomo about his plans for the future, the former councilman said.
“We’re going to be very respectful,” Diaz (inset above) told the Daily News on Monday. “We are very happy for him to come to the South Bronx.”
Asked if he would like to see Cuomo run for governor or another public office, Diaz declined to give a straight answer.
“He was very good to the Bronx when he was governor,” he said, adding he didn’t want to share any thoughts that might “jeopardize” Cuomo’s visit.
Cuomo’s decision to associate himself with Diaz drew swift outrage from LGBTQ advocates, who noted that the ex-lawmaker has a long history of anti-gay views, including claiming in 2019 that the City Council was “controlled by the homosexual community.”
“How dare he? Is he out of his f——-g mind?” longtime gay rights activist Allen Roskoff said of Cuomo’s planned visit to Diaz’s church. “In one swoop he has made the LGBTQ community his enemy. It’s so sad, as he was considered a good friend for past deeds. Now those are in the garbage.”
Rich Azzopardi, Cuomo’s spokesman, pushed back against the idea that the ex-governor’s church visit should be interpreted as an endorsement of Diaz’s views.
“Obviously, we don’t stand for intolerance of any kind, but what separates the public servants from the politicians is being able to work with people who we don’t always agree with. No one can credibly question this governor’s commitment to the LBGTQ community,” Azzopardi said, citing Cuomo’s role in legalizing same-sex marriage in New York, among other measures.
The Bronx trip marks Cuomo’s second public appearance in as many weeks amid rumors that he is considering jumping back into the political fray after spending months on the sidelines following his resignation last August over sexual misconduct accusations.
Marking his first public remarks since his resignation, the ex-governor paid a visit on March 6 to a Brooklyn church, where he claimed in a speech that “cancel culture” was to blame for his political downfall.
Without calling her out by name, Cuomo took aim at state Attorney General Letitia James during his church speech, claiming that her office engaged in “prosecutorial misconduct” by releasing a report corroborating allegations that he sexually harassed 11 women, many of them younger aides.
“They acted in their own self-interest,” Cuomo said of James’ investigators. “They wanted me out because they wanted my job.”
Despite his attacks on James, Cuomo had commissioned the AG to conduct the sexual misconduct investigation. He stepped down only after it became clear that the state Legislature would likely impeach him if he refused.
It’s unclear what office Cuomo may run for if he were to attempt a political comeback.
Speculation has mounted that he may launch a primary challenge against James, but he told The News that the rumors aren’t true when asked about them this month in Manhattan.
Diaz, meantime, suggested Monday in his weekly newsletter to congregants that Cuomo could have a shot at running against Gov. Hochul.
“In a recent poll, Gov. Cuomo, without being a candidate nor having announced his political aspirations, has polled with just 4 points behind Gov. Kathy Hochul,” Diaz wrote, referencing a recent Emerson College poll. “As you know, Gov. Hochul was a friend and she was handpicked by Cuomo to be his lieutenant governor. However, she was among one of the first to throw him under the bus, in the midst of the allegations launched against him.”
Fueling speculation about his political aspirations, Cuomo released a television ad Monday in which he touts aspects of his gubernatorial record, like implementing a $15 minimum wage and paid family leave.
“I haven’t been perfect. I’ve made mistakes,” Cuomo says in the 30-second ad. “But I also made a difference. I’ve never stopped fighting for New Yorkers, and I never will.”