STATEMENT FROM SENIOR ADVISOR TO THE GOVERNOR RICH AZZOPARDI
“Once again the Post has willfully distorted and misreported the Governor’s statement. The Post asked the Governor at a press conference yesterday about a New York Times story using blind sources to claim the Governor made anti-LGBTQ and anti-Semitic statements. The Post asked why these “people say those things” in the Times story. The Governor said “Who knows. People are venal, people want attention, people are angry, people are jealous. Who knows why people spread rumors?” The Post then intentionally distorted this interaction to say that the Governor’s response was to “accusers,” presenting this exchange to readers as if it was about sexual harassment complaints. It was not. That was untrue and false reporting and should be corrected if they have any journalistic integrity.”
Transcript provided below:
Bernadette Hogan, NYP: Governor, The New York Times put out a story a couple of weeks ago, where they interviewed 80 people either close to you or had worked with you, and they detailed accounts that you had said things like anti-trans slurs and also some to the effect of saying that Jews lived in F-ing tree houses. Did you say those things, and if not, why—
Governor Cuomo: I never said any such things and I told the Times that I never said any such thing. They printed slurs and slander, and you’d have to ask them why they did that.
Bernadette Hogan, NYP: Why would people say those things, that you had said them, if that’s not true?
Governor Cuomo: People say a lot of things. People say a lot of things in politics.
Bernadette Hogan, NYP: Governor, also—
Governor Cuomo: That’s, why do people say things? Who knows. People are venal, people want attention, people are angry, people are jealous. Who knows why people spread rumors?
Link to NY Post article here: https://nypost.com/2021/04/26/cuomo-fends-off-sex-accuser-questions-at-in-person-presser/
