Kenneth Cole defends Andrew Cuomo's 'exemplary public service'
Cuomo was lauded last year for his coronavirus response, including receiving an International Emmy
Fashion designer Kenneth Cole defended his brother-in-law Gov. Andrew Cuomo and his "exemplary public service" following a New York attorney general investigation that found Cuomo had sexually harassed multiple women.
"Do we all not remember the extraordinary clarity @govnycuomo brought everyone at a time of such confusion & despair and light at a time of such darkness," Cole, who is married to the Democratic governor’s younger sister Maria Cuomo Cole, wrote on Twitter Thursday.
"Do people really feel that after 40 yrs of exemplary public service, ones legacy should be extinguished without due process?" the fashion mogul of Kenneth Cole Productions continued.
Cole owns the majority of the footwear and clothing empire he started in 1982, which he took public in the '90s before returning it to a private entity.
Cole’s comments came after New York Attorney General Letitia James announced Tuesday that her investigation found Cuomo broke the law and sexually harassed multiple women. The investigation was based on allegations of 11 women, nine of whom are current or former state employees.
Kenneth Cole and his wife, Maria Cuomo Cole, arrive to attend the amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research, gala benefit in New York Jan. 31, 2007. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson (UNITED STATES) (REUTERS/Lucas Jackson / Reuters Photos)
"This is a sad day for New York because independent investigators have concluded that Governor Cuomo sexually harassed multiple women and, in doing so, broke the law," James said in a statement.
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The investigation interviewed 179 people, including Cuomo, and concluded that the Democratic governor harassed current and former staff members from 2013 to 2020.
The investigation comes after Cuomo was overwhelmingly lauded by Democrats for his coronavirus response last year, even winning an International Emmy for his daily coronavirus press briefings and Dr. Anthony Fauci praising New York as America’s gold standard for how to respond to the virus.
Now, however, lawmakers and politicians across the political spectrum - from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, President Biden and Republican New York Rep. Elise Stefanik - have called on him to resign.
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"No one is above the law and today justice must be served. Governor Cuomo must resign and be arrested immediately. President Joe Biden must immediately call for Cuomo’s resignation," Stefanik wrote in a statement Tuesday.
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The governor has denied the allegations and declined to resign during a Tuesday press conference.
"First, I want you to know directly from me that I never touched anyone inappropriately or made inappropriate sexual advances," Cuomo said. "I am 63 years old. I’ve lived my entire adult life in public view. That is just not who I am and that’s not who I have ever been."