Confronted
by a federal probe and a new terror attack, Gov. Andrew Cuomo went ahead
with a scheduled event on relief for Puerto Rico—then refused to take
questions from reporters.
Even Puerto
Rico Gov. Ricardo Rosselló, visiting for the event, expressed surprise
that Cuomo hadn't canceled the presser, held just four hours after the
bombing in the subway system under 42nd Street. Cuomo capped the event
with an extended tirade against the Republican tax bill under review in
Washington, D.C., before making glancing reference to the terror
incident from the dais at the City University of New York Graduate
Center in Manhattan.
"It was a
terrorist attack, another terrorist attack, unfortunately," he said,
delineating a few details about the perpetrator. "We are accustomed to
that. It does make us strong, it does make us tough, but it also makes
us more compassionate."
Aides to
the governor informed local media that the governor needed to run to "a
briefing" on the attack and could not hold the usual question-and-answer
session with reporters. Shortly afterward, his office released an
updated schedule showing rapid-fire afternoon television appearances to
discuss the blast, including interviews on MSNBC and CNN.
It's become
a pattern for the governor, as the shadows of scandal mass around his
administration and as the elections of 2018—and 2020—approach. The tack
makes strategic sense considering the governor's need to rise above
state-level imbroglios and raise his national stature, as he hopes to
win re-election by a wide margin next year and remain in the top tier of
potential Democratic presidential contenders.
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Source: CRAIN'S New York Business (via The Empire Report)
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