Cuomo Blames ‘Political Pressure and Media Frenzy’ in Farewell Speech

Gov. Andrew Cuomo characterized a state attorney general report that found he sexually harassed 11 women as a “political firecracker.”

In his final address on his last day in office, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo of New York claimed on Monday that “intense political pressure and media frenzy” had caused a rush to judgment on sexual harassment allegations made against him, ultimately leading to his resignation. Mr. Cuomo, a third-term Democrat, struck a defiant tone in his remarks, which he used to once again question the fairness of a state attorney general report that found he sexually harassed 11 women. The 165-page report offered corroborating evidence for eight accusers whose allegations were already public, most of them current or former state employees. It also included three previously unreported accounts of sexual harassment by the governor. Investigators conducted interviews with 179 witnesses and accumulated tens of thousands of documents.