Projected President-Elect Joe Biden is allegedly considering New York Governor Andrew Cuomo for Attorney General in his administration, the AP news agency reported citing a source.
Cuomo is one of the politicians on Biden’s shortlist, alongside the recently defeated Alabama Sen. Doug Jones, former US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit Judge Merrick Garland, and former Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates, AP reported on Saturday, citing an unnamed source with “knowledge” of the situation.
Cuomo has been a controversial governor, most notably for his actions during the coronavirus pandemic, which included ordering nursing homes to accept those who had tested positive for Covid-19. At the same time, he’s introduced some of the most sweeping restrictions, with New York restaurants currently being forced to shut down all indoor dining starting Monday despite the dire state of the industry.
The governor faced a backlash in October for celebrating the sales figures of his new book that heavily praises his leadership during the pandemic.
Cuomo’s name has been floated as a possibility for attorney general in the past, though he has claimed he has no plans to join the administration.
“I have no intention to run for president or vice president, or go to the administration,” Cuomo said this week. He added, however, that the role of the attorney general “is critically important, especially now.”
Cuomo’s potential role in a Biden administration has led to many highlighting the governor’s controversies once again and warning off giving the governor more power.
“Years ago, a reporter covering Cuomo once mused to me that ‘If it weren’t for politics, Andrew Cuomo would be a serial killer.’ Andrew Cuomo serving as attorney general would be disastrous on so many levels,” author and reporter Evan Siegfried tweeted in response to the attorney general speculation.
“His executive order helped kill thousands of seniors,” Fox News meteorologist Janice Dean replied. Dean, who lost both in-laws during the pandemic in New York nursing homes, has been one of Cuomo’s most vocal critics.
Most of the articles that are out about @NYGovCuomo being up for @JoeBiden’s AG conveniently leave out all of his major (deadly) failures as governor of New York.
No final decision has been made about an attorney general for Biden’s administration yet, with the Press’ source saying no announcement should be expected “imminently.”
