Narrator: This is New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo,
back when he was a rising star in the Democratic Party.
The scion of a New York dynasty, mentored by Bill Clinton
and married to a Kennedy, he became political royalty.
And it was the COVID outbreak in the spring of 2020
that launched him to international celebrity status.
Cuomo: Hold on, do you have a mask? Man: No, I need one.
Cuomo: Here you go, wear the mask.
It is deep breath time.
Narrator: An empathetic and cool-headed leader
in a time of crisis around the world.
Cuomo: We have been ahead of this from day one.
From day one.
Narrator: But the Cuomo story took a dramatic twist
almost a year later when news broke
of alleged COVID cover-ups and sexual harassment accusations.
I'm sorry for whatever pain I caused anyone.
I never intended it.
Narrator: A very different picture of New York's governor
has now emerged.
Ron Kim: The first words out of his mouth was,
"Mr. Kim, are you an honorable man?"
And then he spent the next 10 minutes berating me.
Governor Cuomo's got to go!
Hey hey, ho ho, Governor Cuomo's got to go!
Narrator: How did it come to this?
And is it game over for Andrew Cuomo?
Andrew Cuomo had his eyes on the governor's mansion
from an early age. But not for himself.
He was just 24 years old when he managed his father's
winning campaign for governor of New York in 1982.
That threw him into the limelight almost overnight.
He then served as an adviser to Gov. Mario Cuomo
on a $1-a-year salary.
He went on to become a partner in a Manhattan law firm
that represented powerful builders, including Donald Trump.
But he gave up law to run a housing nonprofit,
a pivotal moment for his brand.
Jake Lahut: This kind of starts to develop, looking down the line,
Andrew Cuomo's reputation as a champion for the homeless,
showing them that he wasn't just the son of the head
of a political dynasty, but he also was willing
to put in the work himself.
Narrator: His marriage to Robert F. Kennedy's daughter,
Kerry Kennedy, in 1990 was called a union
of two political dynasties.
The press nicknamed them Cuomolot.
They moved to Washington in 1993
and were known as a DC power couple.
He worked for the Department of Housing
and Urban Development, or HUD.
President Bill Clinton took him under his wing
and nominated Cuomo secretary of HUD in 1996.
He was unanimously approved
by a Republican-controlled senate.
He embarked on a nationwide anti-poverty campaign
and led programs that pumped billions into depressed cities.
But his critics said it was all just to enhance
his own public image and political career.
Michael Shnayerson: And very early on,
he began acting even more sort of imperiously.
The parading of people personally continued.
If anything, it grew worse.
Narrator: One of those who said she was
on the receiving end was HUD's inspector general.
Michael: Susan Gaffney felt that he was overspending
on all his programs.
Narrator: But this was just one chapter
in a yearslong feud between the two.
She filed a discrimination complaint against him in 2000
and claimed he verbally abused her
when she oversaw his projects.
But Cuomo dismissed the accusations
and ran for governor two years later.
Jake: The 2002 gubernatorial campaign
was a mess for Andrew Cuomo.
Michael: Every poll that was taken of prospective voters,
they would say, "You know,
I know he's Mario's son, but I don't like him.
I just don't feel I should,
I don't want to vote for him."
Jake: So Cuomo ends up dropping out
before the primary even happens.
And yeah, this is probably the low point
of his political career.
He gets divorced shortly thereafter,
and he's kind of just in the woods between 2002 and 2006.
Narrator: His comeback would be several years in the making.
He was elected New York attorney general four years later.
And then he took a second shot at governor.
The dysfunction, the corruption, the embarrassment.
It is hurting all of us.
We need to clean up Albany now.
Narrator: Cuomo won with more than 60% of the vote.
When you make the pitch to say
that I'm pushing people around,
and going after the political establishment on behalf of
you the voter, that can be a powerful message.
Narrator: It was his third term
that would both make and break Andrew Cuomo.
Late at night on March 1, 2020,
the governor got a call from his secretary and top aid,
Melissa DeRosa.
New York had its first case of coronavirus.
The next day he held the first
of what would become world-famous briefings.
We're going to be focusing on our facilities
that treat our senior citizens, debilitated people.
Narrator: Every day for over 100 days,
Cuomo would reassure New Yorkers it would be all right.
And when you are united, there is nothing you can't do.
Narrator: With some dad jokes here and there.
They won't eat the spaghetti and the meatballs
because they, when I cook it, they just won't eat it.
Advice to fathers,
the answer on what you think of the boyfriend is always,
"I like the boyfriend." Always.
Narrator: By the end of March, there were more than
60,000 cases in New York and hospitals were filling up.
So Cuomo asked nursing homes to take back residents
who'd been hospitalized, as well as new patients,
even if they had COVID.
Brendan J. Lyons: When he signed the state budget,
there were these new immunity protections for nursing homes,
and it was buried in one of these massive spending bills.
They wanted to make sure that doctors, nurses,
hospitals, nursing homes,
couldn't be held legally liable for the deaths of anyone.
Narrator: The order would prove disastrous.
And it was deleted from the governor's website.
But throughout the lockdown,
what seemed to be getting more attention was Cuomo himself.
The governor saw a surge in popularity.
His approval rating rose to 77% in April of 2020 --
his highest in almost 10 years.
Nearly five times as many New Yorkers trusted him
to make the right decision about reopening New York
compared to then-President Trump.
Cuomo was riding high.
He published a memoir of his handling of the pandemic,
even though it wasn't over yet,
won an Emmy for "his masterful use of television,"
and President-elect Biden was reportedly
even considering him for attorney general.
But a disaster was unfolding in New York's nursing homes.
More than 4,500 recovering COVID patients were admitted
by the time Cuomo rescinded his order on May 10, 2020.
Many families felt Cuomo should have seen
the unfolding tragedy far sooner.
Maria Porteus: He had the time to write a book.
He had the time to go on national TV on a daily basis,
but what he left behind is a nightmare for families.
It was a massacre.
Narrator: Maria's father, Carlos Gallegos,
had been living in a nursing home for more than two years.
He died 15 days after the mandate was put in place.
A spokesperson from his nursing home told Insider
that staff only accepted patients they could care for,
and that COVID patients were placed in a COVID-only wing.
Cuomo: Anyone who wants to ask, why did the state do that
with COVID patients in nursing homes?
It's because the state followed
President Trump's CDC guidance.
So they should ask President Trump.
Narrator: But CDC guidelines stated nursing homes should
only accept COVID patients if they could safely do so.
Look, if they say any nursing home that calls up and says,
I can't do this,
we'll make other accommodations.
Narrator: But that wasn't made clear
in the New York mandate originally.
Brendan: Many of them interpreted it as "we must take them back."
Narrator: And by the end of May, more than 5,800 people
had died either with confirmed or suspected coronavirus
in New York nursing homes or adult care facilities.
The families were furious.
Roy Sineo: As you can see by this picture, that was it.
A proud veteran and a proud Navy member.
And it's just, it's a shame.
I feel like he was disgraced.
I just want answers.
And I know it can't bring her back.
Gov. Cuomo, you are not a victim here.
And you are not a casualty of anything.
Narrator: Some of the death certificates list
probable COVID-19 as the cause of death,
but tests were in short supply --
though apparently not for the Cuomo family
and other influential figures.
Brendan: It turned out that the top health department doctor
in New York was being dispatched to the home
of Cuomo's brother, Chris, in the Hamptons on Long Island.
Cuomo has denied that he had any knowledge of this.
Narrator: The New York Health Department
said in July of 2020
that admitting COVID patients was not a significant factor
in nursing home deaths.
But in January 2021,
New York's attorney general, Letitia James,
found that Cuomo's order may indeed have contributed
to outbreaks in nursing homes.
She also said New York's Department of Health
undercounted nursing home deaths by as much as 50%.
Brendan: You have the Justice Department asking
for New York's records on nursing homes and the deaths.
You have reporters and media,
so the legislature in New York also grew interested.
Narrator: On February 10, Cuomo's top aide, Melissa DeRosa,
told lawmakers on a call that Cuomo's office
withheld data out of fear of retaliation.
She admitted that she hid information
because she didn't know what the Department of Justice
was going to do.
And she didn't know if this was going to be politicized.
Narrator: Assemblyman Kim,
a Democrat representing a district of Queens,
told the New York Post that it sounded like they were
trying to "dodge having any incriminating evidence."
That same night he said he got an unexpected call.
It was Gov. Cuomo.
Kim: The first words out of his mouth was,
"Mr. Kim, are you an honorable man?"
And then he spent the next 10 minutes berating me,
yelling, and just being angry about
the statement that I gave,
and making threats about what he would do
to ruin my career.
The bullying of the first few minutes transitioned
into, in my opinion, an abuse of power
when he ordered me to issue a counterstatement
to support his narrative.
A lie that will cover for Melissa DeRosa.
Narrator: Gov. Cuomo denied Kim's accusations
of bullying against him,
but he did admit his administration
should have answered questions sooner.
Not providing the information creates the void.
The void allowed misinformation
and conspiracy.
And now people are left with the thought of,
did my loved one have to die?
Narrator: The Wall Street Journal then reported in March
that Cuomo's top aides pressured health officials
to change a report and list about 6,400 deaths.
But the initial version of the report said
there were nearly 10,000 deaths.
The official death toll now exceeds 15,000.
The FBI is reportedly now investigating if Cuomo's office
gave false data to the Justice Department.
Cuomo's favorability rating dipped down to 40% in April of 2021,
but there was another scandal emerging.
One of his former aides, Lindsey Boylan,
tweeted in December of 2020
that he had sexually harassed her for years.
More women came forward with accusations
in the following months.
The governor did not respond
to Insider's request for comment.
In the past,
he has denied all of the allegations against him.
I now understand that I acted in a way
that made people feel uncomfortable.
It was unintentional, and I truly
and deeply apologize for it.
I never touched anyone inappropriately.
Narrator: The New York attorney general
is investigating the misconduct allegations.
She's also looking into allegations that Cuomo
used state resources to write his memoir.
An impeachment investigation is underway,
and members of Cuomo's own party called for his resignation.
Jake: A year ago, he was at the height of the political world.
He was an international star.
And now this is likely to be
if not the defining aspect of his legacy,
certainly one of the main things he'll be remembered for.
Narrator: The public seems to be
falling out of love with Cuomo.
Sixty-six percent of New Yorkers say he shouldn't run
for reelection next year.
I don't think he should even be in office right now.
In New York, there's a history of governors
and attorneys general that seem to be on a meteoric rise,
and suddenly those political careers blow up overnight.
And in many ways this seems to be
what's happened to Cuomo now.
Narrator: But Cuomo still has eyes on a fourth term.