Former Democratic New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo's political comeback has been on the table since he resigned the state's governorship following sexual harassment allegations levied against him.
Now Cuomo is back in the spotlight, but not for things that could benefit his electoral chances.
Cuomo and Gov. Kathy Hochul's (D-NY) former aide, Linda Sun, was arrested by federal authorities Tuesday on allegations that she acted as an undisclosed foreign agent for China's government.
Sun allegedly accepted millions of dollars and other benefits in exchange for helping Chinese officials eavesdrop on at least one private state government conversation, alter government statements to be more favorable to China, among other things, and for her actions against Taiwanese representation in New York City.
Most of the allegations took place during Cuomo's tenure as governor, though Sun didn't take her highest-ranking position of deputy chief of staff until Hochul took over. While the allegations don't implicate Cuomo or Hochul criminally, they show that Sun's actions directly influenced some of their actions and policies that weren't cracked down on until she was let go in 2023.
Cuomo has sought to distance himself from Sun.
“National security is critical and must be free from foreign influence," Cuomo spokesman Rich Azzopardi told the Washington Examiner. "While Ms Sun was promoted to deputy chief of staff in the subsequent administration, during our time, she worked in a handful of agencies and was one of many community liaisons who had little to no interaction with the governor.”
She worked directly for Cuomo as his director of Asian American Affairs and Queens Regional representative from around August 2012 to February 2015 before later becoming his deputy chief diversity officer from February 2018 to July 2020.
Hochul's Deputy Chief Diversity Officer Priya Nair's biography said the responsibilities of the role are to "advance diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives across New York State government." If Sun had similar responsibilities, she would have had influence over a large part of Cuomo's state government.
Sun's involvement in Cuomo's governorship could hurt his chances of being reelected as the state's governor or, in a different, more likely office, hurt his chances of becoming New York's next mayor.
Cuomo has been floated as a New York mayoral candidate, especially if incumbent Eric Adams decides not to run for reelection, given his low approval ratings. Cuomo said he considers Adams a friend and wouldn't run in a primary race with him.
If Cuomo did run for mayor, without Adams as a consideration, he'd face left-wing New York Comptroller Eric Lander and a host of other Democratic challengers. Lander would be the only other candidate in the race who could compete with Cuomo's name recognition.
But the past allegations wouldn't be Cuomo's only electoral boon. He's been called to Capitol Hill to testify about his administration's handling of nursing homes during the COVID-19 pandemic. His administration was heavily criticized for its policy of still admitting nursing home patients who tested positive for the virus and may have undercounted COVID-19 deaths in nursing home patients by as much as 50%.
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"Andrew Cuomo owes answers to the 15,000 families who lost loved ones in New York's nursing homes during the COVID-19 pandemic," said Rep. Brad Wenstrup (R-OH), chairman of the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic, in a statement .
"We hope that during his public hearing next week, Mr. Cuomo will stop dodging accountability and honestly answer the American people," Wenstrup added.
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