Disgraced ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo to address group of Hispanic ministers Thursday

Disgraced ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo released a second campaign style TV ad Monday as he’s set to speak to a group of Hispanic clergy this week in the Bronx in what some see as the latest steps toward launching a political comeback afterresigning in August under threat of impeachment. 

In the 30-second ad, titled “The Record,” the scandal-scarred former governor touts his accomplishments — including strengthening the state’s gun control laws and raising the minimum wage. 

But he also claims credit for what many see as one of his greatest failings, saying he “led” the entire country during the COVID-19 pandemic, when it subsequently emerged he spent a good portion of that time promoting himself and his then-CNN host brother, Chris; writing a memoir about it mid-pandemic that may have used government resources and hiding the true death toll of senior citizens in nursing homes from the virus. 

“I haven’t been perfect. I’ve made mistakes, but I also made a difference,” Cuomo says, as a montage of pictures of his supporters and various public appearances as governor are displayed. “I’ve never stopped fighting for New Yorkers, and I never will.”

The release of the new commercial comes after Cuomo last month began running a TV ad in which he claimed he’s been exonerated from the sexual harassment allegations. The 30-second “Politics vs. The Law” ad shows snippets of TV reports about recent decisions by five district attorneys to not bring criminal charges against him, while ripping state Attorney General Letitia James’ sexual harassment probe.

Meanwhile, it was revealed Monday that Cuomo is expected to address a group of Hispanic ministers on Thursday — marking his second public appearance in as many weeks amid talk that he might run for office again.  

Cuomo — who last week emerged to gripe about “cancel culture” during an address to a congregation in Brooklyn — will address a group run by controversial ex-Councilman Rubén Diaz Sr. on St. Patrick’s Day, the Pentecostal minister and former state senator announced.

In his newsletter titled “What You Should Know,” Diaz Sr. pointed to a recent poll showing Cuomo trailing Gov. Kathy Hochul by a 4-point margin in a hypothetical Democratic primary race and declared the New York Hispanic Clergy Organization will “welcome him.

“As President of the New York Hispanic Clergy Organization, we are looking forward to hosting Governor Cuomo on Thursday, March, 17th,” Diaz Sr. wrote. “We welcome him to the South Bronx. We will respectfully hear what he has to say and what he would like to share with our community.”

The conservative Democrat and former congressional seat contender, known for his signature cowboy hat and offensive remarks, also ripped Hochul — sworn in as the state’s chief executive after Cuomo stepped down — for turning against her predecessor as he faced accusations of rampant sexual misconduct.

“As you know, Governor Hochul was a friend and she was handpicked by Cuomo to be his Lieutenant Governor. However, she was among one of the first to throw him under the bus in the midst of the allegation launched against him,” Diaz Sr. raged.

“I imagine that those (4) points will evaporate very soon and Governor Hochul will have to consider asking Governor Cuomo for his support, if she wishes to be officially elected by the people to the Governorship.”

Allen Roskoff, a veteran gay rights activist and head of Jim Owles LGBT Democratic Club, blasted Cuomo’s attempt to regain relevance via an allegedly homophobic former lawmaker. 

“Has he lost his mind? It is illogical and insane. Andrew Cuomo is now giving the LGBT community his middle finger,” Roskoff fumed. “His father must be rolling in his grave.”

State Sen. Brad Hoylman called the upcoming appearance “despicable and outrageous.”  

“Somehow, former Gov. Andrew Cuomo has found a way to sink even lower. Using an anti-LGBTQ bigot to promote his misguided comeback tour is the definition of desperation,” Hoylman (D-Manhattan) told The Post. “His legacy is already in tatters, I think this is just another sign that former governor Cuomo has lost the plot. … It’s despicable and outrageous.” 

State Assemblyman Ron Kim, an outspoken critic of Cuomo’s handling of nursing homes during the COVID-19 pandemic, wondered in a tweet, “How many @revrubendiaz congregation members died from COVID in nursing homes after Cuomo sent 9,000 patients to these facilities and took away their right to recourse?”

In response to the blowback, a Cuomo rep presented the ex-governor accepting Diaz’s invitation as an example of him “being able to work with people who we don’t always agree with.”

 “Obviously we don’t stand for intolerance of any kind, but what separates the public servants from the politicians is being able to work with people who we don’t always agree with,” said spokesman Rich Azzopardi. “No one can credibly question this Governor’s commitment to the LBGTQ community, among many other measures, he’s the one who led the charge for and got marriage equality passed and he’s the one who banned conversion therapy and instituted GENDA by executive order until the legislature found the votes.”

Diaz Sr.’s announcement comes after he last week signaled he wanted to hear from the scandal-scarred former governor following Cuomo’s remarks to the church in Brooklyn.

“I will love to have @gov Cuomo to come to the Bx. and Address The Hispanic Ministers as he did in Brookyn [sic],” he tweeted March 7. “He did a lot for the Boogie-down Bx.”

In response, Cuomo pledged to take him up on the offer.

“Thank you, @revrubendiaz — we did a lot of good work together for the Bronx, but there is still more to be done,” the former governor responded on Twitter. “I’d love to.”

Cuomo appears to be attempting to launch a political comeback after he was driven out of office in August by documented sexual harassment of 11 women, use of state resources to write his pandemic memoir, and misleading the public and federal regulators over COVID-linked nursing home deaths.

Along with the pair of TV advertisements, Cuomo also recently dined with Mayor Eric Adams and ex-New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie.

In his first public appearance since leaving office, the Empire State’s 56th governor turned a March 6 appearance at a Brooklyn church into a 25-minute gripe session, blaming “cancel culture,” the media and “political sharks” for driving him out of office.

But Cuomo was tight-lipped when asked by reporters if he would run for office.

Diaz Sr. — father of former Bronx Borough President Rubén Díaz Jr. — is a pariah to many New York City Democratic elected officials for various anti-gay and offensive remarks.

In 2019, Diaz Sr. was stripped of his role as chairman of the council committee overseeing for-hire vehicles after he said in an interview that the chamber was “controlled by the homosexual community.”

Diaz Sr., who in 2020 announced he would not seek re-election for his South Bronx City Council seat, has said he is an opponent of gay marriage and abortion due to his religious beliefs.

He also invited then-presidential candidate Sen. Ted Cruz to his district in 2016, and has complimented former President Donald Trump. In the 2014 gubernatorial election, Diaz endorsed Cuomo’s Republican opponent, Rob Astorino. 

Diaz also voted against the state legislature 2011 legalization of same-sex marriage in the Empire State — one of Cuomo’s signature accmplishments. 

When he ran for Congress in 2020, LGBT leaders mobilized to attempt to defeat him. Diaz Sr. lost the race to then-Councilman Ritchie Torres, who is gay.

Daniel Ravelo