AOC endorses candidate challenging DCCC chair Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney in the Democratic primary for New York's 17th Congressional District



Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York has endorsed state Sen. Alessandra Biaggi, a candidate challenging Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney (D-N.Y.) in the Democratic primary in the state's 17th Congressional District — Maloney is the chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.

"I'm running for Congress to challenge inaction and political cowardice. New Yorkers deserve fierce champions in Washington, and that’s why I’m so proud to receive the endorsement of one of the bravest fighters I know: @AOC," Biaggi tweeted.

\u201cI\u2019m running for Congress to challenge inaction and political cowardice. New Yorkers deserve fierce champions in Washington, and that\u2019s why I\u2019m so proud to receive the endorsement of one of the bravest fighters I know: @AOC.\u201d
— Alessandra Biaggi (@Alessandra Biaggi) 1654619322

"I respect Rep. Ocasio-Cortez and have worked with her on a number of policy matters, including as a co-sponsor of the Green New Deal. But, on her endorsement, we are going to have to agree to disagree," Maloney said in a statement, according to reports. "This election comes down to voters in NY-17, and I am honored to have received overwhelming support locally, including endorsements from nearly 40 elected leaders and Democratic Party committees."

Ocasio-Cortez had previously criticized Maloney's plan to run in the Empire State's new 17th District, a move that would have pitted Maloney directly against fellow New York Democratic Rep. Mondaire Jones, though Jones ultimately opted to seek election in another district. The New York Times noted that while Maloney resides in the state's new 17th District, that region is largely represented by Jones.

"Given the resources that he has at his helm, it creates a conflict of interest," Ocasio-Cortez said last month, according to Politico — the congresswoman said that if Maloney opted to run in a primary against a fellow Democratic lawmaker, he should relinquish his DCCC responsibilities.

The outlet reported that Ocasio-Cortez described Maloney's behavior as "particularly shameful as a member of Democratic leadership, especially as the leadership of the DCCC, who asks all of us to make sacrifices in one way or another, who asks progressives to make sacrifices on their stances in order to preserve a majority."

Democrats are heading into the 2022 midterms with an unpopular president at the helm — President Joe Biden has been underwater on his job approval numbers in various polls for a long time. The election cycle also comes as Americans are getting soaked by soaring inflation, and gas prices have been skyrocketing.

'You are a monster': Democrats lash out at Andrew Cuomo over newest allegations, call for investigation



Democratic politicians are becoming increasingly outspoken about New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D), a scandal-embattled Democratic leader who is quickly falling from his party's good graces.

Already saddled with a nursing home scandal in the Empire State for which Cuomo has blamed Republicans and former President Donald Trump, more Democrats are calling for an investigation into Cuomo after another woman came forward with allegations that Cuomo sexually harassed her.

As TheBlaze reported, a former Cuomo aide alleged Saturday that Cuomo sexually harassed her last year.

"I understood that the governor wanted to sleep with me, and felt horribly uncomfortable and scared," Charlotte Bennett told the New York Times. "And was wondering how I was going to get out of it and assumed it was the end of my job."

What are the details?

Many of New York's top Democratic politicians called for an "independent investigation."

New York state Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins said, "The continued allegations are deeply disturbing and concerning. The behavior described has no place in the workplace. A truly independent investigation must begin immediately."

New York Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie (D) said, "As I previously stated, all allegations of harassment must be taken seriously. A truly independent investigation is warranted."

Even Lt. Gov Kathy Hochu (D) said, "Everyone deserves to have their voice heard and taken seriously. I support an independent review."

Other Democrats even demanded Cuomo's immediate resignation.

"[Y]ou are a monster, and it is time for you to go. Now," New York state Sen. Alessandra Biaggi (D) wrote on Twitter.

.@NYGovCuomo, you are a monster, and it is time for you to go. Now.
— Alessandra Biaggi (@Alessandra Biaggi)1614470257.0

"The assertions against Governor Andrew M. Cuomo by Charlotte Bennett detail behavior that is unacceptable," Biaggi also said in a statement. “I am especially horrified by the comments the Governor made to Charlotte about her experience with sexual assault — comments he did not deny making. They are the epitome of a hostile work environment."

“As a New Yorker, a legislator, Chair of the Senate Ethics and Internal Governance Committee and a survivor of sexual abuse, I am calling for Governor Cuomo to resign," Biaggi added.

Anything else?

New York State Attorney General Letitia James (D) also called for an investigation into Cuomo on Sunday.

She said:

Allegations of sexual harassment should always be taken seriously. There must be a truly independent investigation to thoroughly review these troubling allegations against the governor, and I stand ready to oversee that investigation and make any appointments necessary. Given state law, this can only be accomplished through an official referral from the governor's office based on State Law (§ 63-8) and must include subpoena power. I urge the governor to make this referral immediately.

Cuomo's office later claimed Sunday that it had requested an independent investigation into the allegations.

Even New York Democratic lawmakers are calling 'BS' after Gov. Cuomo's latest attempt to shift the blame in nursing home cover-up: 'Lie on top of a lie'



New York Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo spent a big chunk of Monday attempting to shift the blame — again — over the nursing home scandal. But not even his fellow Democrats are falling for it. Some of them are calling him a liar and pointing out his "BS" for blatantly trying to mislead New Yorkers.

What's the background?

Cuomo has been facing increased pressure about the scandal after the Associated Press revealed Thursday that thousands more coronavirus patients were sent to nursing homes than Cuomo had previously admitted.

The scandal of the admittance revelation was compounded by a New York Post report the same day that top Cuomo aide Melissa DeRosa admitted to state Democratic leaders that Cuomo's office hid nursing home data to blunt pressure coming from the federal level and to avoid bad publicity they knew they would get if former President Donald Trump got ahold of the information.

During a news conference in Albany Monday, Cuomo blamed nursing home staff for spreading the virus and repeated his insistence that his policy of sending coronavirus patients to nursing homes was not responsible for the wave of nursing home deaths.

Cuomo also tried to explain away what his aide had admitted and the fact that his office did not share the nursing home data publicly with lawmakers. The governor blamed a U.S. Department of Justice probe into his nursing home policy for delays in releasing the death tally, the Post noted. Cuomo claimed that his office had told state lawmakers about the probe and data delay.

Democrats call out Cuomo

New York Democratic legislators are not buying what he's selling.

Democratic state Assemblyman Ron Kim said "all of it is BS" and a cover-up, the Post reported.

"They could have given us the information back in May and June of last year. They chose not to," the lawmaker said, ignoring Cuomo's claim that the DOJ probe was the cause of the delay and instead pointing to DeRosa's admission that the governor's office hid the information over fears that "the information would be weaponized against them."

Another Democrat, state Sen. Alessandra Biaggi, said on Twitter that Cuomo was not telling the truth when he claimed he had told the legislature about the DOJ probe causing a delay in sharing the data. According to the lawmaker, she had to read about the probe in the Post.

"No, @NYGovCuomo, you did not tell the entire Senate or Assembly that there was a DOJ investigation, as the reason why you didn't share the nursing home numbers," Biaggi wrote. "I found out about a DOJ investigation with the rest of NY'ers in the @nypost story Thursday night."

No, @NYGovCuomo , you did not tell the *entire* Senate or Assembly that there was a DOJ investigation, as the reaso… https://t.co/4XHtqfYZtn
— Alessandra Biaggi (@Alessandra Biaggi)1613420429.0

Another Democratic lawmaker, Assemblywoman Yuh-Line Niou, said Cuomo was blatantly trying to mislead the public to cover up past lies.

"The legislature had no knowledge of a DOJ inquiry," Niou tweeted. "The legislature at a public hearing asked questions of the executive and of the health commissioner and then was lied to. The things said in this last press conference were frightening because for their blatant goal to mislead."

The legislature had no knowledge of a DOJ inquiry. The legislature at a public hearing asked questions of the execu… https://t.co/TYFZMiA61S
— Yuh-Line Niou (@Yuh-Line Niou)1613421738.0

Democratic state Sen. Julia Salazar backed up Biaggi's and Niou's claims and called Cuomo's claims "a lie on top of a lie" in a Twitter thread Monday afternoon.

"The Governor keeps trying to evade responsibility for his misjudgment (an understatement) in concealing the number of nursing home deaths by claiming that he'd informed the legislature. But this contradicts the point of his administration's private call with legislators last week," she wrote in response to Cuomo's presser. "If the Governor had actually informed the legislature months ago that his office was withholding the data they had on total nursing home deaths, there would've been no need for them to have a call with a group of legislators last week to inform them of this for the first time."

"Governor can claim (as he's done) that they withheld the data bc they thought it would be used against them by the DOJ(!)," she continued. "But claiming they informed the legislature is a lie on top of a lie. If he'd been honest in the first place, he may have had one bad news cycle. But now?"

She went on to blast the governor for a string of false statements and a wild claim that defied the known nature of Albany to leak secrets.

If the Governor had actually informed the legislature months ago that his office was withholding the data they had… https://t.co/vrqKdywMQ8
— Julia Salazar (@Julia Salazar)1613419937.0
Of the false statements that we’ve heard from the Governor today, the wildest one to me is that he expects us to be… https://t.co/QudGnpxaVh
— Julia Salazar (@Julia Salazar)1613422814.0

State Sen. John Liu ripped Cuomo for misleading the public and "withholding information the the public deserves to know," the Post repotted.

Liu, along with more than a dozen other New York Democratic state senators, has joined Republicans to back a bill calling for Cuomo's emergency pandemic powers to be revoked.