Quote:New York's disgraced former governor Andrew Cuomo could challenge Attorney General Letitia James in the upcoming election as retribution for her office's damning investigation that branded him a serial groper.

Cuomo, 64, is mulling a return to politics after the scandal last August led to his abrupt resignation and sources say he could seek to reclaim the AG seat he previously held from 2007 to 2010.

He's hinted at running against James in the November election via comments he's made about the fellow Democrat and New York's current political climate, political insiders told the Wall Street Journal.


The state's Democratic chairman Jay Jacobs said Cuomo is working to restore his reputation after the report found he sexually harassed 11 women.

'He's most interested in clearing his name,' Jacobs told the Journal. 'My advice would be, he needs time to pass before any moves to re-enter public life. But is that possible in the future? In America, anything's possible.'

Cuomo's political legacy began crumbling in December 2020, when former aide Lindsey Bolan became the first woman to go public with her sexual harassment claims against him.

Other accusers soon followed. Cuomo denied the mounting allegations, and refused all calls to resign - until the release of James' report, which included an allegation by former aide Brittany Commisso who claimed he groped her breast in the executive mansion in November 2020.

Commisso was the first accuser to take her sexual assault claims to police, but Albany County's district attorney dropped the case last month, claiming there was not enough evidence to secure a conviction.

Prosecutors in two other New York districts have also said Cuomo will not face criminal charges after two women, including a state trooper, alleged that he planted unwanted kisses on their cheeks.

Cuomo has repeatedly claimed to the victim of a political attack by James, and has previously joked that AG stands for 'aspiring governor.'

He has on social media retweeted attacks against James in the press, most recently sharing a quote from a New York Times article in February where his former advisor Rich Azzopardi called the AG's sexual harassment report a 'sham.'

Cuomo on January 31 retweeted a statement by Azzopardi that called James 'a serial liar whose touted 11 cases have now been reviewed by Democratic & Republican DAs across the state & have resulted in 0 cases being brought.'

His former lawyer Rita Glavin has held a number of press conferences to undermine the credibility of Cuomo's accusers and said Cuomo wasn't ready to let the accusations slide.

“If you were in his position, you wouldn’t let it go either,' she told the Journal. 'The truth is important to him.'

Cuomo has not made many public appearances since his resignation, but has been spotted fly fishing and on Thanksgiving shared a picture of him with his mother and three grown daughters.

Azzopardi dismissed reports that Cuomo might return to public office.

'There are a lot of silly rumors running around this town, and we can’t help it if some people are still fixated on us,' he told the Journal.
James, 63, announced last October plans to run against Governor Kathy Hatchel in the upcoming election but backed out of the race in December after failing to raise enough money to finance her campaign.

She said she'll instead seek reelection as attorney general.

'I have come to the conclusion that I must continue my work as attorney general,' she said in a statement. 'There are a number of important investigations and cases that are underway, and I intend to finish the job.'

James, who served three years under Cuomo, as the first woman elected as the state's attorney general and first black person to serve in the role.

Her current contenders for the November vote include prominent trial attorney and Congressional legal analyst Daniel Goldman, also a Democrat. Republicans set to appear on the ballot include commercial litigation attorney Michael Henry, lawyer and businessman Joseph Holland, and John Sarcone III.

Filing deadline is April 7, with the primary set for June 28.