When former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo resigned, many people were surprised by the move. The embattled politician was one of the most well-known public figures who rose to prominence during the pandemic. First, because of his unapologetic lockdown measures, which were specifically targeted toward the ultra-Orthodox Jewish community [2]. Second, for the scandals surrounding his policies which saw residents infected with COVID-19 returned to nursing homes [1].
Surprisingly, neither of these events was enough to sink the governor’s political ship. Instead, it was a series of allegations from 11 women who stated that Cuomo had sexually harassed them. After a state investigation concluded that the governor was indeed guilty of the accusations, Cuomo stepped down and issued a half-hearted apology. [3] This set off a media firestorm due to the sense that the resignation was merely a way for him to avoid the humiliation of impeachment. [5]
Although God made Jesus Christ “to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21), everyone will someday receive their just comeuppance if they reject salvation and lead lives that dishonor God.
2 Corinthians 5:10 says, “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.”
Nonetheless, the promise in this verse does not make it any easier to watch people whom we believe to have done wrong escape “justice” in this life.
This exact feeling was at work when one commentator wrote that Cuomo was making excuses in his farewell speech by saying that he was attempting to provide support and that his actions had been misinterpreted because “[Cuomo’s] own family member is a survivor of sexual assault.” [4]
While Cuomo may avoid the shame of impeachment, he is still subject to possible criminal charges for at least one woman’s claim that he sexually assaulted her. [6]
Though it may seem like a hollow victory for the women who came forward to speak out against the powerful governor, God promises humanity that we will one day receive perfect justice. In the words of Psalm 147:3 “[God] heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.”
The outcome, in this case, may be imperfect but as Allison Hope wrote:
“Let us take new poignant lessons learned from those 11 women, the state attorney general's investigation and Cuomo's resignation -- that parties and people of all stripes can band together to stand up for women; that a man in power can and should fall from grace when he has committed acts of abuse.” [7]
The wicked will not prosper forever, one day, they will be held accountable, whether in this life or the next.
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[1] Sunlen Serfaty and Veronica Stracqualursi, “Justice Department says it will not investigate Covid-19 nursing home deaths in several states,” CNN (July 24, 2021), https://www.cnn.com/2021/07/24/politics/nursing-home-deaths-covid-justice-department-no-investigation/index.html
[2] Bernadette Hogan and Natalie Musumeci, “Cuomo declines apology to Orthodox Jewish community over COVID-19 lockdown,” New York Post (October 21, 2020), https://nypost.com/2020/10/21/gov-cuomo-declines-apology-to-orthodox-jews-over-covid-19-lockdown/
[3] “NY Gov. Cuomo responds, denies findings of independent investigation into sexual harassment allegations,” WKBW (August 3, 2021), https://www.wkbw.com/news/state-news/ny-gov-cuomo-responds-denies-findings-of-independent-investigation-into-sexual-harassment-allegations
[4] Jeff Slawson, “Why Cuomo's harassment response is seen as problematic for survivors,” WKBW (August 5, 2021), https://www.wkbw.com/news/local-news/why-cuomos-harassment-response-is-seen-as-problematic-for-survivors
[5] “Assembly Speaker Says Governor Can No Longer Remain in Office,” New York Times (August 10, 2021), https://www.nytimes.com/live/2021/08/03/nyregion/andrew-cuomo
[6] Deepa Shivaram, “Andrew Cuomo Could Still Face Impeachment Even After His Resignation,” NPR (August 11, 2021), https://www.npr.org/2021/08/11/1026450816/new-york-governor-andrew-cuomo-impeachment-resignation
[7] Allison Hope, “Make Cuomo's resignation a turning point for accountability,” CNN (August 11, 2021), https://www.cnn.com/2021/08/11/opinions/andrew-cuomo-sexual-harassment-accountability-turning-point-hope/index.html
