Judge halts Cuomo’s bid to use public funds for image repair

A New York judge just slammed the brakes on former G0v. Andrew Cuomo’s attempt to keep taxpayers footing the bill for his personal PR cleanup, as Fox News reports.

In a sharp ruling, state Supreme Court Justice Denise Hartman rejected Cuomo’s push to prolong a legal fight with Brittany Commisso, an ex-aide who accused him of sexual assault, while also shutting down his bid to dig into text messages he claims would clear his name.

Let’s rewind to the beginning: Commisso, once a staffer under Cuomo, came forward with serious allegations of sexual harassment, claiming he groped her buttocks during a 2019 selfie at the executive mansion and later, in 2020, reached under her blouse to grab her breast.

Cuomo’s fall from grace begins

These weren’t isolated claims — an investigation by Attorney General Letitia James found that Cuomo had harassed at least 11 women, a bombshell that ultimately forced the Democrat to resign from office.

Commisso, breaking her silence in a joint interview with CBS This Morning and the Albany Times Union, became the first accuser to file a criminal complaint against him, putting a public face to the growing scandal.

Fast forward to the legal aftermath: the state recently settled Commisso’s lawsuit against Cuomo for a hefty $450,000, a move that seemed to signal an end to the courtroom drama—until Cuomo tried to keep the fight alive.

Judge slams door on taxpayer funding

Cuomo, now running for New York City mayor as an independent after losing the Democratic primary by a wide margin to Zohran Mamdani, argued the case shouldn’t be dropped until certain text messages were made public, claiming they’d disprove Commisso’s story.

Justice Hartman wasn’t buying it, ruling that Commisso could walk away from the lawsuit and denying Cuomo’s request to release the texts, effectively pulling the plug on his legal maneuver.

Hartman’s words cut deep: “Cuomo has not advanced any viable argument for why the taxpayers of this state should continue to foot the bill for his continued use of civil litigation discovery devices to further his efforts to resurrect his public image.”

Cuomo’s team fires back

Well, that’s a polite way of saying, “Stop using public money for your personal vendetta.” Turns out, actions have consequences, and judges aren’t here for political image rehab on the taxpayer’s dime.

Cuomo’s spokesman, Rich Azzopardi, came out swinging, stating, “Brittany Commisso’s allegations are false and for four years she hid her contemporaneous text messages that obliterated her claims.”

Azzopardi doubled down, adding, “She is desperate to keep the texts from public scrutiny, which is why she suddenly settled her case for a fraction of her initial multimillion-dollar demand soon after she was forced to produce them in her meritless lawsuit.”

Public trust, political games

Let’s unpack that: if the texts are as damning as Cuomo’s camp claims, why settle at all? It’s hard not to wonder if this is less about justice and more about dodging a public relations nightmare—on both sides.

Still, Azzopardi insists, “Governor Cuomo will continue to fight for the release of all the evidence because it shows he didn’t sexually harass anyone and further discredits the AG’s political report.” While the passion is noted, the courtroom isn’t a campaign stage, and Justice Hartman’s ruling makes it clear that taxpayer funds won’t bankroll this fight.

This saga raises bigger questions about accountability and the use of public resources in personal battles, especially when a politician’s reputation is on the line. From a conservative lens, it’s frustrating to see government coffers tapped for what looks like a private grudge match, especially when trust in public officials is already razor-thin. Cuomo’s past leadership may have had its merits, but this move feels like a step too far in the wrong direction.