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Disgraced ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo will reportedly speak to a group of Hispanic ministers in the Bronx Thursday — marking his second public appearance since resigning under the threat of impeachment.
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 Monday.
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.”
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.
Last month, Cuomo 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 displays snippets from 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.
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 church 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.
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 reelection 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.
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.
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