NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: An alarming report says that former governor Andrew Cuomo's sister orchestrated a vile campaign to disparage the women whose charges of sexual harassment blew up her brother's political career. According to the New York Times report published on Monday, Aug 7, Madeline Cuomo, 58, persuaded a group of her brother's followers, most of whom were elderly women, to share "bimbo photos" of the "unsophisticated girls" who launched harassment charges against her brother.
A number of messages that Madeline sent with We Decide New York members show that she encouraged the pro-Cuomo organization to pursue his accusers, stating in August of last year that two of them "need to be frightened into shutting up right now — Enough is enough." The extent of Andrew's knowledge of this vicious campaign and his sister's involvement is unknown. However, she appeared to imply in a number of texts that she was working with his approval. "I just hung up w A again and he wants you both to know how much he appreciates ALL your hard work," the sister wrote last September. Few days later, she added, "He’s seeing everything."
Who is Madeline Cuomo?
Madeline, 59, a daughter of Governor Mario M Cuomo and his wife Matilda, is a lawyer who focuses primarily on marriage legislation. She handles issues relating to married partnerships, such as child custody, divorce, and marriage. She was an associate at Shea & Gould, a law firm in New York. Her Linkedin page says she is currently a "Lawyer at Self Employed."
'Unsophisticated girls'
The Times analyzed 4,000 emails, texts, and voice notes that were sent and received between the ex-governor Andrew's younger sister and We Decide New York (WDNY), a pro-Cuomo organization in upstate New York. One group member tweeted to Charlotte Bennett, a former Cuomo aide and accuser, "Your life will be dissected like a frog in an HS science class," along with a picture of Bennett purportedly dancing in lingerie. The offensive tweet, according to the article, was sent by We Decide member Anna Vavare, but Madeline Cuomo supported it as she encouraged the women to support her brother in his fight. The sister of the fallen governor sent a follow-up message to the group saying, "No respectable woman would EVER pose like that." "Bimbo photos," she added. "Really despicable… Unsophisticated girls."
'She was using us'
Several members of WDNY informed the Times that they now felt betrayed by Madeline Cuomo who was "demanding" they do her bidding, according to one group member Sandy Behan, 71. "She wanted to make sure we toed the line and we did. This was a means for her to get information out to benefit her brother," she told the outlet. "She didn’t want to be my girlfriend," Behan added. "She was using us."
'Andrew was not directly or indirectly involved'
Andrew Cuomo's tenure as governor ended in August 2021, when he resigned amid escalating sexual harassment charges from many women, prompting his sister to undertake a shady campaign to discredit his accusers. Madeline verified in a statement on Monday, August 7, that she had collaborated with WDNY with the intention of "protecting my family," but she insisted that her brother had not been involved in her schemes. According to a former governor's spokesperson, "he was not directly or indirectly involved in these online efforts," as per The Times.
