Disgraced former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo slams Kathy Hochul’s ‘incompetence’ and ‘backdoor deals’

Disgraced former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo penned an article Monday slamming current Gov. Kathy Hochul for her ‘incompetence’ and ‘backdoor deals,’ citing in part the recently announced $850 million Buffalo Bills’ stadium deal that could directly benefit Hochul’s husband’s concession business.

Cuomo, who resigned in August after a sexual harassment scandal, weighed in on the current state of affairs in Albany in a New York Daily News column titled ‘There’s a better way forward for New York State.’ 

‘The Albany culture now is ‘see no evil’ and ‘go along to get along.’ State government is back to parochial politics, fundraising and incompetence,’ the embattled career politician wrote.

The hit piece comes on the heels of an especially chaotic week for Hochul.

Her handpicked Lt. Gov. Brian Benjamin resigned in the wake of his arrest in a federal corruption investigation, just seven months after the pair vowed to make a fresh start in an office already rocked by scandal. 

Cuomo went on to criticize his former right-hand woman’s response to a new spike in COVID cases in the Empire State following Hochul’s remarks that she will not impose new lockdowns so as to not disturb the state’s newly regained economical stability.  

‘COVID has changed the world. People [and] businesses can work from home. [It’s] not that people are affirmatively choosing other states, but that they’re being constructively evicted from NY,’ Cuomo wrote in a tweet sharing the Daily News piece. 

‘We just paid the Bills $1 billion. What do we pay our citizens to stay?’ 

Hochul, who faces an election this fall, recently came under fire after Albany insiders pointed out that an $850 million, taxpayer-funded contract to build a $1.4 billion stadium for the Buffalo Bills would potentially benefit her husband’s major food concession business. 

Cuomo, who resigned in August after a sexual harassment scandal, slammed Kathy Hochul in a New York Daily News column entitled ‘There’s a better way forward for New York State.’ Above, Cuomo  stands with Hochul during an an election night watch party hosted by the New York State Democratic Committee in 2018 

Hochul, who faces an election this fall, recently came under fire after Albany insiders pointed out that an $850 million, taxpayer-funded contract to build a $1.4 billion stadium for the Buffalo Bills would potentially benefit her husband’s major food concessionaire

Cuomo went on to criticize his former right-hand woman’s response to a new spike in COVID cases in the Empire State following Hochul’s remarks that she will not impose new lockdowns so as to not disturb the state’s newly regained economical stability

‘There is no vision, planning, performance or accountability,’ Cuomo wrote on Monday. 

‘The only act of national significance in the budget was the Bills stadium deal that a national expert called ”one of the worst deals for taxpayers I’ve ever seen” and ”a return to the bad old days.”’ 

In late March, Hochul introduced a budget plan in which Empire State taxpayers would foot the majority of the $1.4 billion project to keep the Buffalo Bills in Western New York.

Much of the taxpayer-funded money for the Bill stadium will come from New York State and Erie County, which will contribute $850 million and $250 million, respectively, with the deal including a 30-year commitment from the team to stay in Buffalo. 

The Governor’s husband, Bill Hochul, is the senior vice president of a major food concessionaire at the Buffalo Bills’ Highmark Stadium. 

Delaware North could potentially benefit from another 30 years of work at the new stadium, The New York Post reported.  

Speaking of the taxpayers’ price tag in March, Hochul called it ‘far less than anyone had anticipated,’ while referring to speculation that taxpayers could have spent $1 billion or more.

Hochul added that the construction costs fall in line with other recent small-market stadium projects. Ongoing maintenance and capital costs will cost another $13 million a year.  

‘The project will create 10,000 union jobs and New Yorkers can rest assured that their investment will be recouped by the economic activity the team generates,’ said Hochul, a Buffalo native and devoted Bills fan, in defense of the spending.  

‘The only act of national significance in the budget was the Bills stadium deal that a national expert called ”one of the worst deals for taxpayers I’ve ever seen” and ”a return to the bad old days,”’ Cuomo wrote. Above, a rendering of the future Bills Stadium

The Governor’s husband, Bill Hochul, is the senior vice president of a major food concessionaire at the Buffalo Bills’ Highmark Stadium. Delaware North could potentially benefit from another 30 years of work at the new stadium

On Monday, Cuomo also commented on Tuesday’s indictment against recently resigned Lt. Gov. Brian Benjamin, who was accused of using his influence as a state senator to get a $50,000 grant of state funds for a nonprofit organization.

‘The lieutenant governor’s indictment raises troubling questions. After many scandals, we had reformed the insidious pork-barrel member-item process,’ Cuomo wrote. 

He added: ‘The attorney general’s office had undertaken a comprehensive vetting process and required legal certifications that there was no conflict of interest or financial relationship between the legislator and the grantee … In the Brian Benjamin case, the entire system failed.’

Hochul’s previously smooth path to a Democratic primary win has hit a major bump in recent weeks. 

Her leading opponents in both the primary and general election have pounced, saying Hochul’s pick of Benjamin at a time when he was already under scrutiny showed poor judgment. 

‘Either she’s consistently shamefully out of the loop, or shamefully enabling through her inaction, and either way, it’s clear that unless we elect leadership outside of the old ways of Albany, these patterns of scandal and corruption will keep repeating,’ said New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, who is running against Hochul for the Democratic nomination.

U.S. Rep. Tom Suozzi, a Long Island Democrat also trying to beat Hochul, piled on, saying her pick of Benjamin was part of a pattern of bad choices.

‘Hochul has fostered a culture of continued corruption with months of fundraising from pay-to-play insiders and people doing business with the state, and secretive budget deals that resulted in the billion dollar Bills stadium and little else,’ Suozzi tweeted. 

Benjamin is free on $250,000 bail after he pleaded not guilty on April 12 following his arrest on multiple charges including bribery, fraud, conspiracy and falsification of records. 

Former New York Lieutenant Governor Brian Benjamin leaves a hearing in federal court on Monday, April. 18, 2022, in New York. Benjamin previously plead not guilty to corruption charges

The hit piece comes on the heels of an especially chaotic week for Hochul, after her handpicked Lt. Gov. Brian Benjamin resigned in the wake of his arrest in a federal corruption investigation, just seven months after the pair vowed to make a fresh start in an office already rocked by scandal (File photo) 

Hochul, who had been lieutenant governor under Cuomo, became the Empire State’s first female governor in August when Cuomo announced his resignation amid sexual harassment allegations he denies to this day

He made his first appearance Monday before Judge J. Paul Oetken, who will preside over a trial if it occurs. 

News of Benjamin’s arrest and resignation was nearly lost in the noise of a mass shooting on a subway train in New York City.

Hochul raced into town to attend a police news conference about the attack, where she ducked a question about Benjamin, then visited shooting victims in the hospital and rode the rails in a symbolic statement against fear. 

Federal prosecutors say Benjamin accepted bribes, in the form of illegal campaign contributions, during a failed run for New York City comptroller.  

Hochul used a public radio interview Wednesday to defend her selection of Benjamin, and said the vetting process didn’t raise red flags. 

‘It was a surprise, it really was,’ Hochul told WNYC host Brian Lehrer. ‘I made the best decision I could with the information I had at that time.’

Hochul, who had been lieutenant governor under Cuomo, became the Empire State’s first female governor in August when Cuomo announced his resignation amid sexual harassment allegations he denies to this day.