Cuomo Allegations Are Not A Plot To Pardon Trump
The Claim
The women who have accused New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo of sexual harassment have been orchestrated by former President Trump/Republicans. They are doing this to get Trump pardoned of all crimes in the state.
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Emerging story
In the days following the findings of New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo’s sexual harassment report, a number of social media users have claimed that the story is a plot. Specifically, the users state that the story is a means for former President Trump/Republicans to install a Republican governor who will pardon Trump.
Some posts also claimed this theory back in March, when Cuomo’s allegations were gaining press coverage. These older and more recent posts have gained hundreds of interactions.
Misbar’s Analysis
Misbar’s investigation found that the sexual harassment allegations against Governor Cuomo are legitimate and unconnected to Trump/The Republican Party. Additionally, the theory that the accusers are working to install a Trump-friendly governor who would pardon Trump has a number of holes.
Perhaps the strongest piece of evidence that disproves any kind of plot to forgive Trump is that the report on the allegations was conducted by the Democratic Attorney General of New York, Letitia James. As the Financial Times article linked in the last sentence makes clear, when James was running for office, many suspected that she was a pawn of Cuomo and was strongly endorsed by Cuomo. It is highly unlikely that a Democratic politician who had been endorsed by and closely associated with the governor would willingly compile a document of false allegations on behalf of a former Republican President.
In addition to compiling the sexual harassment report, Letitia James has also been investigating Trump’s business practices, and her office also announced that it was following a criminal investigation against Trump. This further highlights that, if anything, James is working against Trump, not with him.
The investigation into Cuomo was exhaustive. It has resulted in a 165-page report that took five months of investigation and interviewed 179 witnesses. Additionally, the investigation was able to identify evidence that substantiated the claims. On page 15 of the report, it states that it issued 70 subpoenas and received 74,000 documents.
Another fact that works against the theory that Trump/Republicans are working to defame Governor Cuomo for a pardon is that if Governor Cuomo were to be removed from office, the lieutenant governor would replace him. The current holder of this position is Kathy Hochul, who describes herself as a proud Democrat who entered politics as a reaction to the Tea Party wave. It is unlikely that such a person would pardon Trump. Additionally, the line of succession of the governorship of New York then falls upon the temporary president of the senate, who is a Democrat, and then the speaker of the assembly, who is a Democrat. Because of this, a Republican would only be able to become governor and pardon Trump by winning an election. This does not take place until November 2022.
