The sad reality is that unless something fundamental changes on the ground, Andrew Cuomo stands a very good chance of becoming the next mayor of New York City.

When you think about it, it really reflects just how cynical and gross a single-party state or area can become. No one in New York has really forgotten everything Andrew Cuomo did while governor, especially during COVID – and yet he could potentially worm his way back into elected office just because he is a well-known Democrat in New York City who is trying to present himself as having LESS baggage than Eric Adams.

But the past actions of Andrew Cuomo are never far behind him. Just last Friday, the state of New York announced that it was settling a lawsuit with one of Cuomo’s accusers, Charlotte Bennett, for a cool $450,000 – which she will see only $100K of after the lawyers get paid.

The agreement ends a prolonged and bitter legal battle between the former aide, Charlotte Bennett, 29, and Mr. Cuomo, 67, over allegations made in 2021 that he inquired about her sex life, questioning whether she had monogamous relationships and if she liked older men.

“This settlement was mutually agreed upon by the parties and allows the State to minimize further cost to the taxpayers,” said Avi Small, a spokesman for Gov. Kathy Hochul, who replaced Mr. Cuomo when he resigned in August 2021.

Since the alleged misconduct occurred when he was in office, Mr. Cuomo’s legal defense, which has costs tens of millions of dollars, has been largely subsidized by the state. His opponents in the mayoral race have tried to cast focus on this expense, arguing it was a misuse of taxpayer funds.

Mr. Cuomo’s lawyers have also accused Ms. Bennett in court documents of trying to turn public sentiment against him by repeatedly noting how much his legal defense cost the public.

Under the terms of the settlement, Ms. Bennett will receive a $100,000 payout for lost pay and personal injury among other things. Her lawyers will receive about $350,000 in reimbursed fees and other legal costs. The agreement was first reported by Law 360.

Debra Katz, Ms. Bennett’s lawyer, confirmed in a statement on Friday that her client had settled her lawsuit.

“Ms. Bennett’s allegations were later supported by findings from the New York Attorney General’s Office and the U.S. Department of Justice,” Ms. Katz said in the statement. “Ms. Bennett is looking forward to moving on with her life.”

Mr. Cuomo has long argued that the reports by the attorney general’s office and the Justice Department were politically motivated and filled with falsehoods.

Please note that the offices that Cuomo is accusing of political motivation are the Democrat-run New York Attorney General Letitia James’s office, and the then-Biden administration’s Department of Justice. Cuomo has made no secret that he thinks his fellow Democrats made him the scapegoat for COVID and abandoned him once all of the sexual harassment accusations began. So he has a political axe to grind with pretty much everyone.

But, as he stood up in church on Easter Sunday, totally not being political while being a political candidate at Calvary Baptist Church on a Sunday, Andrew Cuomo really doesn’t want people to concern themselves with silly little things like settlements or the amount of money that’s been spent on him. Let’s focus on the happy, uplifting things – like electing him as mayor!

The former governor, who is running for New York City mayor, told the church crowd Sunday that there is “too much negativity” these days — “too much us vs. them rather than we.

“Let us rise above the chaos and the clamor so America may hear its better angels,” he said.

“New York City has always been in the process of renewal and betterment. You knock us down, we get up stronger than ever before. You knock us down on 911, we get up stronger than before. You hit us with Hurricane Sandy, we come back stronger than ever before.

“You hit us with COVID, life and death, we come together as a community and do what they said was impossible, and we save lives.”

Ah yes, the state of New York saved so many lives during COVID that they lost a congressional seat after the census was over. All those lives were being saved, that’s why Cuomo’s office was busy doctoring the death tolls. I really wish the people of New York City were angry enough to not fall for this revisionist bullshit. And when the Catholic Cuomo was done totally not being political at a black church, he spoke to the press about the legal settlement.

“I said when it started from the beginning that [the sex lawsuit] was all political, and that’s the way it turned out,” Cuomo, 67, told The Post outside Calvary Baptist Church in Jamaica, Queens, where he had just delivered a brief address at the house of worship to mark Easter Sunday.

“I was dropped from the suit, so it was up to the state. The state did a settlement, which was basically settling a nuisance suit — sometimes it [costs] more to litigate than to settle. But it was all politics,” he said.

Asked for his thoughts about how New Yorkers must now foot the bill for the settlement, Cuomo responded, “That’s why you can’t politicize these things.

“If you start allowing political lawsuits and claims, then the taxpayers are gonna be paying a lot of money,” he said before wishing reporters a happy Easter and getting into the driver’s seat of a black Dodge.

So in his mind, if you’re angry that the state taxpayers are handing over $450K to Charlotte Bennett and her lawyers, then you should BLAME THE STATE for taking the lawsuit seriously. It wasn’t his call, so it wasn’t his fault! Can’t blame him! And he still insists that HE did nothing wrong. So he wants voters to be fine with the settlement, because that’s just the business of politics – but he is still planning on SUING Charlotte Bennett for accusing him of sexual harassment.

You simply can’t underestimate the hubris of Andrew Cuomo.

Ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo has filed new court papers threatening a defamation suit against sex-harass accuser Charlotte Bennett — before Albany could pass a law to hinder such cases targeting alleged victims.

The document, filed in Manhattan Supreme Court on Friday, is reupping his notice of claim to sue Bennett and her lawyer, Debra Katz, for issuing damning statements against the former governor-turned-mayoral candidate even after Bennett voluntarily dismissed her lawsuit against him in federal court in December.

“Bennett reposted her agents’ tweet, which has garnered more than 90,000 views, was false and defamatory, and Bennett made it knowing full well that it was false and intending to cause harm to Governor Cuomo,” Cuomo’s suit said.

An investigative report commissioned by state Attorney General Letitia James had found that Cuomo engaged in misconduct against as many as 11 women, including Bennett and a state trooper, but the new legal papers claim the probe was a hit job and none of the accusations have held up in civil or criminal court.

“Despite Bennett’s gamesmanship in withdrawing her federal lawsuit before she was required to admit under oath that she had lied about her interactions with Governor Cuomo, Governor Cuomo fully intends to clear his name and to ensure that Bennett and her agents never again repeat the falsehood that he sexually harassed Bennett,” according to the document, which was filed by Cuomo lawyers Theresa Trzaskoma and Rita Glavin.

Cuomo had previously filed a notice threatening to sue Bennett — and this latest move was reupping that threat.

The legal maneuver appeared to be a marked departure from comments he made in February 2021, when he said, “I never intended to offend anyone or cause any harm.

“I now understand that I acted in a way that made people feel uncomfortable,” Cuomo said at the time.

“It was unintentional, and I truly and deeply apologize for it. I feel awful about it, and frankly, I’m embarrassed by it, and that’s not easy to say. But that’s the truth.”

At the time that Bennett dropped the federal lawsuit, Cuomo claimed that it was proof that he had been framed for sexual harassment by ALL the accusers. Bennett claimed that she was done with Cuomo using the lawsuit against her to upend her life. There are still two other pending lawsuits against Cuomo by two other accusers – but now, according to him, they’re all liars. Gone is the contrite, apologetic governor who was trying to save his political career. Now, the mayoral candidate wants revenge, and is claiming that he never sexually harassed anyone, as his lawyers stated last December when Bennett dropped her federal lawsuit and the state was working on a settlement.

“After falsely smearing Governor Cuomo for years, Ms. Bennett suddenly withdrew her federal lawsuit on the eve of her deposition to avoid having to admit under oath that her allegations were false and her claims had no merit,” his attorneys said in a statement. “If New York State does give in to her public pressure campaign and settles, it will not be on the merits and should require the public release of all the evidence so that New Yorkers finally know the truth: Governor Cuomo never sexually harassed anyone.”

So now Charlotte Bennett has a settlement, and Andrew Cuomo is planning on suing her for defaming him, all while the New York state assembly contemplates passing laws that would offer some protections for women like Bennett.

The proposed Speak Your Truth Act would require the accused to pay for all the legal expenses of the defendants if they lost their defamation/libel case.

The proposed New York measure, sponsored by state Sen. Brad Hoylman-Sigal (D-Manhattan) and Assemblywoman Jessica González-Rojas (D-Queens), is being reviewed in committee.

A separate bill seeks to protect all alleged victims of employment discrimination including harassment from libel or defamation suits after they file internal complaints about the abuse they are experiencing.

That measure is sponsored by state Sen. Andrew Gounardes (D-Brooklyn) and Assemblywoman Jo Anne Simon (D-Brooklyn).

“This is a tactic abusers use against their victims time and time again. They’re trying to silence victims,” Gounardes said of such lawsuits.

The senator said Cuomo’s move against Bennett is “exactly the type of case this bill tries to protect against.

“It happened countless times before Cuomo and will happen countless times after him,” Gounardes said.

Even if this bill passes, it won’t help Charlotte Bennett. If Cuomo goes through with the lawsuit, she will still be on the hook for more legal fees to fight a defamation suit in court, and who is to say that he won’t attempt to sue the other women who are currently suing him? The state is still on the hook for his defense in those cases, as both of the other women were also state employees who Cuomo is accused of harassing while working in his office, or around him as a state trooper.

$450K is nothing compared to the $60 million New York taxpayers have had to pay for sociopath sleaze ⁦@andrewcuomo⁩’s legal bills.
https://t.co/BLIU8ZNT6Z

— Steve McLaughlin (@SteveMcNY) April 19, 2025

If New York City really picks Andrew Cuomo, and resurrects his political career from the dead, then they will be getting exactly what they deserve – an arrogant, unapologetic sleazeball who has one singular focus: himself. Accountability is for those with smaller pockets – and a smaller ego – than Cuomo.

Featured image: original Victory Girls art by Darleen Click