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Sources say ‘hermit’ Andrew Cuomo feels ‘shame’, but is likely plotting a comeback

August 20, 2022 | | Print Article

Disgraced former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has reportedly become a “hermit” of sorts, though according to reports, this hermit may be secretly plotting a comeback.

“I think he’s ashamed. He’s embarrassed, and he doesn’t want to deal with the questions and the looks and responses he might get. He’s a bit of a hermit,” one of Cuomo’s alleged victims, Karen Hinton, told the New York Post.

Hinton worked from 1995 to 1999 as his press secretary.

“He won’t show his face anywhere. [His brother] Chris is out and about all the time. Matt Lauer did grosser things and you see him around all the time. But not Andrew. The feeling is that he has a lot of shame over what happened and he’s hiding,” a longtime Hamptons insider who knows the Cuomo family added.

Shame over what exactly? According to the Post’s other sources, it’s not shame over him sexually harassing women and then trying to smear his accusers.

No. The reason why he feels shame is because of “the anger he feels about losing his job — unfairly he believes” and the regret he feels “about not fighting for it harder,” according to the Post.

In other words, the guy thinks he did nothing wrong. And apparently, he’s not the only one who shares this sentiment.

“Cuomo announced his resignation on Aug. 24, 2021, after a damning sexual harassment report from the New York Attorney General’s Office that had him facing impeachment. But an upstate district attorney’s office dropped any criminal investigation,” according to the Post.

Indeed, in a statement to the Post, Cuomo’s spokesperson, Rich Azzopardi, also pushed back on the idea that his boss is guilty of sexual harassment.

“[H]e did not sexually harass anyone, and five different district attorneys who independently reviewed the allegations refused to move forward against him. At the same time, the AG suppressed irrefutable evidence of perjury, blackmail, witness tampering and inconsistent testimony in this sham probe,” he said.

He also rebuffed the accusations that Cuomo’s been hiding out.

“Anyone saying that doesn’t know Andrew Cuomo. He’s living his life, speaks up when he has something to say and whenever he’s out and about is mobbed by New Yorkers who appreciate his contributions and can’t believe what happened to him,” Azzopardi said.

The problem is that save for a few sightings here and there, the former governor’s essentially been missing.

“[E]xcept for a few brief sightings — hanging with old friend Billy Joel at his waterfront Hamptons estate over the July 4th weekend or reportedly helping a stalled motorist in East Hampton last week — he’s been MIA this summer,” the Post notes.

“He wasn’t seen much before that, either, except for what appeared to be carefully-curated appearances like dining out in Manhattan with Mayor Eric Adams or speaking out at churches in Brooklyn and the Bronx.”

However, Cuomo’s allies say there’s a reason for him staying out of the limelight.

“The man is not in hiding, the man knows exactly what he’s doing. He’s had some ups and downs and we’ve been friends through it all. You may not see a lot of him but it’s only because he’s figuring out his next move. He’s resilient. I would not count that man out,” his friend, the Rev. Alfred Cockfield II, told the Post.

Sounds like a comeback may be in the works.

As for his love life, Cuomo’s “been seeing a 50-ish woman who lives in the Southampton area,” according to the Post.

In related news, the former governor is reportedly “homeless” now that he no longer resides at the governor’s mansion.

“Although Cuomo, 64, has $10 million in campaign finance money, and insiders say hasn’t given up on politics, he’s also still officially homeless after leaving the Executive Mansion in Albany where he lived for 11 years. (For much of his time in office, he also lived in a Westchester home with then-girlfriend Sandra Lee),” the Post notes.

“Cuomo’s insiders [said] that Andrew splits his time between the Hamptons, where he crashes with his brother, Chris, in Sag Harbor or with longtime pal Dr. Jeffrey Sachs in Southampton; Westchester, where his sister, Maria Cuomo Cole, lives, and Manhattan where he stays with friends or relatives.”

In this regard, he’s a lot like former New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio:

Vivek Saxena
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