There are apparently tinfoil hat conspiracy theorists on both sides of the political spectrum.
A nonsensical conspiracy is gaining traction on social media by peddling baseless theories that the women who have accused New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo of sexual misconduct are part of an implausible right-wing plot to preemptively pardon former President Donald Trump of state crimes in New York.
The theory - for which there is absolutely no evidence - posits the innuendo that the five women who have publically accused Cuomo of sexual harassment are trying to get him to resign in disgrace so that a Trump-friendly Republican governor can get elected in the 2022 election. On Tuesday, the Albany Times Union reported that Cuomo faces new allegations by a sixth staffer but her name is being held, as of now.
"Eliminate Cuomo and a Republican Governor will replace him and pardon Trumphitler. That. Is. The. Plan. That's why he's called Teflon Don," someone who calls herself "Laure" on Twitter wrote in a Tuesday post capped off with the hashtag #IStandWithCuomo, which has been gaining traction since this past weekend.
The unsubstantiated claims are easily debunked by the fact that Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, would take Cuomo's place if he resigns - not a Republican.
A new governor would not be inaugurated until January 2023 - nearly two years from now - and the idea that a Trump-boosting Republican candidate would win the November 2022 gubernatorial election poses the longest of long shots, considering New York is one of the most consistently Democratic states in the country.
© Getty/APNew York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (left) and Former President Donald Trump (right)
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (left) and Former President Donald Trump (right) (Getty/AP/)
Time also isn't on Trump's side at the moment.
The former president's legal exposure in New York appears to be growing by the day, with Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance Jr. and State Attorney General Letitia James significantly ramping up their fraud investigations into him and his company in recent weeks. The idea that Trump's sitting around and waiting for 2023 to come around for a pardon thereby appears doubly improbable.
Adding to the implausibility of the Cuomo-boosting theory, the governor's accusers are registered Democrats and vocal Trump critics, begging the question as to why they would seek to help the former president score a pardon.
"That anyone would vote for Trump is just....it's astounding how many people like to get screwed," Lindsey Boylan, a former Cuomo aide who has accused the governor of forcibly kissing her, tweeted on Election Night 2020.
Cuomo's office did not return a request for comment on the crackpot claims about his accusers, and a spokeswoman for Trump declined to comment.
Queens Assemblyman Ron Kim, one of several Democrats in the State Legislature who have called on Cuomo to resign over the sexual harassment claims, coined a new term for the evidence-free theories in a reply to a Twitter user who asked if he found it "odd" that the accusations are emerging as Vance and James are investigating Trump.
"No," Kim wrote in response. "I don't dabble in Cuo-Anon conspiracies."