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Yahoo
a day ago
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Petty, abusive — and popular: Why New York Democrats are afraid to speak out against Andrew Cuomo
Democrats who were once vocal critics of former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo are sitting on the sidelines of the New York mayoral primary, and insiders think it's because Cuomo's victory appears inevitable. At the same time, critics argue that they're letting Cuomo off the hook. Democrats who vocally criticized Cuomo in the past, like Gov. Kathy Hochul and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., have declined to remind the public why they called on Cuomo to step down. Hochul called the allegations of sexual harassment against Cuomo 'repulsive' in 2021 and now says that she'll 'deal with whatever the voters decide to deal with.' Gillibrand, who called the allegations against Cuomo 'serious and deeply concerning,' now compliments Cuomo, saying that 'He has a lot of talent as an executive.' Rep. Ritchie Torres, D-N.Y., called for Cuomo's resignation in 2021, issuing a joint statement with other New York Democrats saying, 'It is clear that he engaged in inappropriate, unlawful and abusive behavior.' He has since endorsed the former governor in the mayoral primary, saying 'we need not a nice guy, but a tough guy like Andrew Cuomo.' Gillibrand's office responded to a request for comment from Salon by referencing comments the senator made in an appearance on WNYC, when she said: "The question being asked today is what's my opinion about someone after they've resigned, after they've taken the penalty that I called on them to take? Do they have any say from you one way or the other? And my answer to that is everyone gets to decide in this election who they want to vote for. It's up to New Yorkers. It is not up to me. And that's it." Hochul's office did not respond to a request for comment. Former New York Gov. David Paterson, who immediately preceded Cuomo as the state's chief executive, told Salon that elected Democrats coming out against Cuomo at this stage of the race probably won't matter. Given many Democrats' unpopularity in New York, he argued that criticism might even help Cuomo in the primary. Paterson said that the bigger question in his mind is why haven't voters in New York City 'taken him to task.' 'I'm not advocating that they should, I'm just wondering why they haven't done that," Paterson said. "Somebody has a commercial: 'Andrew Cuomo spent $60 million of your money defending himself against allegations.' Now that's a pretty significant amount of money, and it's a pretty significant amount of money and it's to review someone now running for office, and the public paid for all his legal bills. That's an interesting subject, but it doesn't seem to matter." In Patterson's view, Cuomo is almost certain to win the New York City mayoral primary, which discourages elected Democrats who have spoken out against Cuomo in the past from doing so again. New York state Sen. Gustavo Rivera, a Bronx Democrat, was first elected in 2010, the same year Cuomo was elected governor. He said that Cuomo's personal and political style helps explain Democrats' reluctance to speak out. 'He was vengeful and petty, and certainly politically popular and politically powerful,' Rivera said. 'He's somebody who's been an abusive bully, who only cares about himself, how people perceive him, and how people view him, and he does not particularly care about well-being, regardless of what he says. His actions say something different.' Rivera said that Cuomo has held a grudge against him because of his outspoken criticism of him, alleging that the former governor even moved an early COVID vaccine distribution site from his district because it was the district he represented. Cuomo has denied the allegation. 'For the sake of a political slap on my face, because I was one of the only people who stood up to him publicly, he made the decision to put it someplace else and that means that there's people in my district who died because they did not have early enough access to the vaccine, based on a political decision that he made to be some sort of payback,' Rivera said. Jasmine Gripper, co-director of the New York Working Families Party, told Salon that there is deep irony in Cuomo promising to fix the city's problems as a mayoral candidate, because many of the city's problems stem from Cuomo's time as governor. The Working Families Party previously endorsed Cuomo in the 2018 New York gubernatorial general election, even after backing activist Cynthia Nixon in the Democratic primary and criticizing Cuomo as a corporate Democrat. The endorsement, however, came after Nixon declined to run on the Working Families Party line in the general election. The party, which had to receive 50,000 votes in November or else lose its party line, ultimately decided to endorse Cuomo at the last minute. It is not likely to ever do so again. 'New York City lost hundreds of mental health beds while Andrew Cuomo was governor. He is the reason why our mental health infrastructure in the city was decimated and, as a result, we see the people in our streets with nowhere to go, and the people experiencing homelessness — that is Andrew Cuomo,' Gripper said. 'The reason why our subways are delayed and flooding, and not up to date, is because of Andrew Cuomo.' Gripper pointed to Cuomo's record working with Republicans in the state Senate to sideline Democrats in the upper chamber as another topic that deserves to be discussed in the mayor's race. Gripper said that, working with the IDC, Cuomo was able to sideline priorities for many New Yorkers, like investments in transit, public edcation, healthcare and housing, while simultaneously raiding the MTA budget and cutting funding for schools. "Andrew Cuomo helped orchestrate a coup where a group of Democrats decided to conference with Republicans, and so Republicans, plus what they call the IDC, the Independent Democratic Conference, gave Republicans control of our state Senate and that structure existed for many years,' Gripper said. 'He was holding the line for the wealthy, for the billionaires, for the developers, and at the expense of everyday working people. And he really was holding the line against New York City and not adequately funding the city the way he should have been.' Rich Azzopardi, a spokesman for Cuomo, told Salon that Cuomo had nothing to do with the formation of the IDC. Politico has, however, reported as far back as 2014 that, while the IDC was not the governor's idea, Cuomo and top aides made it "very clear they wanted the IDC to work with Republicans to run the Senate." Susan Kang, a professor of political science at John Jay College who has written extensively on New York under Cuomo and the IDC, told Salon that this sort of maneuvering to prevent a Democratic-controlled legislature was typical of Cuomo during his time as governor. Kang also referenced the post-2010 Census redistricting process, in which Cuomo signed off on maps drawn by the state legislature, with the then Republican-controlled state Senate proposing legislative districts designed to help them retain control of the chamber. The same deal allowed Assembly Democrats to draw maps that helped protect their incumbents. The maps Cuomo signed off on carefully underrepresented voters in New York City by packing more voters into the city's state Senate districts compared to upstate, Republican-dominated districts. When Cuomo was sued over the issue, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York found that population distortion across the state Senate districts had fallen just within the legal limit courts have allowed under the 14th Amendment. In practical terms, this means that, despite campaigning on independent redistricting, Cuomo signed off on a carefully-calculated maximal gerrymander designed to reduce the power of New York City's largely Democratic voters and help Republicans maintain control of the state Senate. Thirteen years later, Cuomo is running for mayor of New York City, pitching himself as the candidate who will stand up against a Republican administration in Washington. Kang said that, politically speaking, having a Republican-controlled state Senate was useful for the former governor because it meant 'he got to control the spigot of changes coming out of Albany.' 'I think he wants to present himself as sort of like a bipartisan compromise-maker in a state where you don't have to do that,' Kang said. 'But he wouldn't have to do that, if he hadn't propped up this artificial division." While the exact effects on what legislation made it into law are hard to quantify and still debated, critics blame the conference for blocking major legislation on ethics in government, reproductive health care and health care more broadly, voting rights, climate change and even earlier versions of the Child Victims Act, which extended the period that victims of child sexual assault have to bring civil critics have highlighted Cuomo's handling of COVID as an area ripe for scrutiny, especially his handling of nursing homes during the crisis, which has received renewed interest given the Justice Department's investigation into his congressional testimony on the topic. Dennis Nash, a professor of epidemiology at the City University of New York, told Salon that the full impact of Cuomo's COVID-era policy of discharging recovering COVID patients into nursing homes is unknown, but that it likely contributed to new infections in nursing homes. Nash also criticized the subsequent effort from the administration to undercount the number of deaths among nursing home residents by excluding residents who were infected in nursing homes but who died in hospitals from official tallies. A 2022 state audit conducted by the comptroller's office found that New York's health agency undercounted COVID-related deaths in nursing homes by at least 4,100. 'This greatly obscured the scale of the crisis. It also compromised the ability to learn from what happened in a very high-stakes situation. We can't evaluate the effectiveness or harm of policies if our government officials and agencies are not transparent about the outcomes. New York eventually corrected the death count, but I think really only after external investigations forced its hand,' Nash said. Patterson said that the nursing home fiasco and its subsequent cover-up point to one of Cuomo's core political instincts: 'Don't ever admit to anything.' 'He just doesn't do it. Somewhere, he must have read a book that said, 'Don't ever admit to anything.' And that has largely worked in his favor,' Paterson said. Cuomo has publicly admitted that there was a "delay" in the reporting of some nursing home-related deaths during the pandemic, though he has stopped short of apologizing for either the policy or the undercount. In congressional testimony in 2024, Cuomo said he did not review a State Health Department report on nursing home deaths, a statement that appears to be contradicted by emails between Cuomo's aides, according to the New York Times. Azzopardi, Cuomo's spokesperson, told Salon that New York's nursing home policy was consistent with federal guidance and that the issue had been "weaponized and politicized for purely electoral purposes for years." Azzopardi referenced a report from the Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General, obtained by ABC News in early January of 2025, which found that DOJ officials were directed to "focus specifically on New Jersey and New York despite having been provided data indicating that the nursing homes with the most significant quality of care issues were in other states." The same report found that in October of 2020, a Justice Department Office of Public Affairs official proposed a plan to leak information to the New York Post pertaining to information related to nursing home deaths in New York and New Jersey. That official texted another OPA official in mid-October 2020 that the leak would "be our last play on them before the election but it's a big one." Paterson said that he's advised Cuomo to reflect on his record, whether it be relating to the nursing home issue or his multiple sexual harassment scandals, and say, 'If something such as this came up again, I'm pretty sure I would handle it differently.' In Patterson's view, such reflection would open 'the door for people to embrace your humanity.' 'And this is a conversation that he and I have had over the years. He agrees with me when we have the general conversation, but he never seems to adapt it. And I guess the reason that he's never adapted is that it's never actually come back to bite him,' Paterson said.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Petty, abusive — and popular: Why New York Democrats are afraid to speak out against Andrew Cuomo
Democrats who were once vocal critics of former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo are sitting on the sidelines of the New York mayoral primary, and insiders think it's because Cuomo's victory appears inevitable. At the same time, critics argue that they're letting Cuomo off the hook. Democrats who vocally criticized Cuomo in the past, like Gov. Kathy Hochul and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., have declined to remind the public why they called on Cuomo to step down. Hochul called the allegations of sexual harassment against Cuomo 'repulsive' in 2021 and now says that she'll 'deal with whatever the voters decide to deal with.' Gillibrand, who called the allegations against Cuomo 'serious and deeply concerning,' now compliments Cuomo, saying that 'He has a lot of talent as an executive.' Rep. Ritchie Torres, D-N.Y., called for Cuomo's resignation in 2021, issuing a joint statement with other New York Democrats saying, 'It is clear that he engaged in inappropriate, unlawful and abusive behavior.' He has since endorsed the former governor in the mayoral primary, saying 'we need not a nice guy, but a tough guy like Andrew Cuomo.' Gillibrand's office responded to a request for comment from Salon by referencing comments the senator made in an appearance on WNYC, when she said: "The question being asked today is what's my opinion about someone after they've resigned, after they've taken the penalty that I called on them to take? Do they have any say from you one way or the other? And my answer to that is everyone gets to decide in this election who they want to vote for. It's up to New Yorkers. It is not up to me. And that's it." Hochul's office did not respond to a request for comment. Former New York Gov. David Paterson, who immediately preceded Cuomo as the state's chief executive, told Salon that elected Democrats coming out against Cuomo at this stage of the race probably won't matter. Given many Democrats' unpopularity in New York, he argued that criticism might even help Cuomo in the primary. Paterson said that the bigger question in his mind is why haven't voters in New York City 'taken him to task.' 'I'm not advocating that they should, I'm just wondering why they haven't done that," Paterson said. "Somebody has a commercial: 'Andrew Cuomo spent $60 million of your money defending himself against allegations.' Now that's a pretty significant amount of money, and it's a pretty significant amount of money and it's to review someone now running for office, and the public paid for all his legal bills. That's an interesting subject, but it doesn't seem to matter." In Patterson's view, Cuomo is almost certain to win the New York City mayoral primary, which discourages elected Democrats who have spoken out against Cuomo in the past from doing so again. New York state Sen. Gustavo Rivera, a Bronx Democrat, was first elected in 2010, the same year Cuomo was elected governor. He said that Cuomo's personal and political style helps explain Democrats' reluctance to speak out. 'He was vengeful and petty, and certainly politically popular and politically powerful,' Rivera said. 'He's somebody who's been an abusive bully, who only cares about himself, how people perceive him, and how people view him, and he does not particularly care about well-being, regardless of what he says. His actions say something different.' Rivera said that Cuomo has held a grudge against him because of his outspoken criticism of him, alleging that the former governor even moved an early COVID vaccine distribution site from his district because it was the district he represented. Cuomo has denied the allegation. 'For the sake of a political slap on my face, because I was one of the only people who stood up to him publicly, he made the decision to put it someplace else and that means that there's people in my district who died because they did not have early enough access to the vaccine, based on a political decision that he made to be some sort of payback,' Rivera said. Jasmine Gripper, co-director of the New York Working Families Party, told Salon that there is deep irony in Cuomo promising to fix the city's problems as a mayoral candidate, because many of the city's problems stem from Cuomo's time as governor. The Working Families Party previously endorsed Cuomo in the 2018 New York gubernatorial general election, even after backing activist Cynthia Nixon in the Democratic primary and criticizing Cuomo as a corporate Democrat. The endorsement, however, came after Nixon declined to run on the Working Families Party line in the general election. The party, which had to receive 50,000 votes in November or else lose its party line, ultimately decided to endorse Cuomo at the last minute. It is not likely to ever do so again. 'New York City lost hundreds of mental health beds while Andrew Cuomo was governor. He is the reason why our mental health infrastructure in the city was decimated and, as a result, we see the people in our streets with nowhere to go, and the people experiencing homelessness — that is Andrew Cuomo,' Gripper said. 'The reason why our subways are delayed and flooding, and not up to date, is because of Andrew Cuomo.' Gripper pointed to Cuomo's record working with Republicans in the state Senate to sideline Democrats in the upper chamber as another topic that deserves to be discussed in the mayor's race. Gripper said that, working with the IDC, Cuomo was able to sideline priorities for many New Yorkers, like investments in transit, public edcation, healthcare and housing, while simultaneously raiding the MTA budget and cutting funding for schools. "Andrew Cuomo helped orchestrate a coup where a group of Democrats decided to conference with Republicans, and so Republicans, plus what they call the IDC, the Independent Democratic Conference, gave Republicans control of our state Senate and that structure existed for many years,' Gripper said. 'He was holding the line for the wealthy, for the billionaires, for the developers, and at the expense of everyday working people. And he really was holding the line against New York City and not adequately funding the city the way he should have been.' Rich Azzopardi, a spokesman for Cuomo, told Salon that Cuomo had nothing to do with the formation of the IDC. Politico has, however, reported as far back as 2014 that, while the IDC was not the governor's idea, Cuomo and top aides made it "very clear they wanted the IDC to work with Republicans to run the Senate." Susan Kang, a professor of political science at John Jay College who has written extensively on New York under Cuomo and the IDC, told Salon that this sort of maneuvering to prevent a Democratic-controlled legislature was typical of Cuomo during his time as governor. Kang also referenced the post-2010 Census redistricting process, in which Cuomo signed off on maps drawn by the state legislature, with the then Republican-controlled state Senate proposing legislative districts designed to help them retain control of the chamber. The same deal allowed Assembly Democrats to draw maps that helped protect their incumbents. The maps Cuomo signed off on carefully underrepresented voters in New York City by packing more voters into the city's state Senate districts compared to upstate, Republican-dominated districts. When Cuomo was sued over the issue, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York found that population distortion across the state Senate districts had fallen just within the legal limit courts have allowed under the 14th Amendment. In practical terms, this means that, despite campaigning on independent redistricting, Cuomo signed off on a carefully-calculated maximal gerrymander designed to reduce the power of New York City's largely Democratic voters and help Republicans maintain control of the state Senate. Thirteen years later, Cuomo is running for mayor of New York City, pitching himself as the candidate who will stand up against a Republican administration in Washington. Kang said that, politically speaking, having a Republican-controlled state Senate was useful for the former governor because it meant 'he got to control the spigot of changes coming out of Albany.' 'I think he wants to present himself as sort of like a bipartisan compromise-maker in a state where you don't have to do that,' Kang said. 'But he wouldn't have to do that, if he hadn't propped up this artificial division." While the exact effects on what legislation made it into law are hard to quantify and still debated, critics blame the conference for blocking major legislation on ethics in government, reproductive health care and health care more broadly, voting rights, climate change and even earlier versions of the Child Victims Act, which extended the period that victims of child sexual assault have to bring civil critics have highlighted Cuomo's handling of COVID as an area ripe for scrutiny, especially his handling of nursing homes during the crisis, which has received renewed interest given the Justice Department's investigation into his congressional testimony on the topic. Dennis Nash, a professor of epidemiology at the City University of New York, told Salon that the full impact of Cuomo's COVID-era policy of discharging recovering COVID patients into nursing homes is unknown, but that it likely contributed to new infections in nursing homes. Nash also criticized the subsequent effort from the administration to undercount the number of deaths among nursing home residents by excluding residents who were infected in nursing homes but who died in hospitals from official tallies. A 2022 state audit conducted by the comptroller's office found that New York's health agency undercounted COVID-related deaths in nursing homes by at least 4,100. 'This greatly obscured the scale of the crisis. It also compromised the ability to learn from what happened in a very high-stakes situation. We can't evaluate the effectiveness or harm of policies if our government officials and agencies are not transparent about the outcomes. New York eventually corrected the death count, but I think really only after external investigations forced its hand,' Nash said. Patterson said that the nursing home fiasco and its subsequent cover-up point to one of Cuomo's core political instincts: 'Don't ever admit to anything.' 'He just doesn't do it. Somewhere, he must have read a book that said, 'Don't ever admit to anything.' And that has largely worked in his favor,' Paterson said. Cuomo has publicly admitted that there was a "delay" in the reporting of some nursing home-related deaths during the pandemic, though he has stopped short of apologizing for either the policy or the undercount. In congressional testimony in 2024, Cuomo said he did not review a State Health Department report on nursing home deaths, a statement that appears to be contradicted by emails between Cuomo's aides, according to the New York Times. Azzopardi, Cuomo's spokesperson, told Salon that New York's nursing home policy was consistent with federal guidance and that the issue had been "weaponized and politicized for purely electoral purposes for years." Azzopardi referenced a report from the Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General, obtained by ABC News in early January of 2025, which found that DOJ officials were directed to "focus specifically on New Jersey and New York despite having been provided data indicating that the nursing homes with the most significant quality of care issues were in other states." The same report found that in October of 2020, a Justice Department Office of Public Affairs official proposed a plan to leak information to the New York Post pertaining to information related to nursing home deaths in New York and New Jersey. That official texted another OPA official in mid-October 2020 that the leak would "be our last play on them before the election but it's a big one." Paterson said that he's advised Cuomo to reflect on his record, whether it be relating to the nursing home issue or his multiple sexual harassment scandals, and say, 'If something such as this came up again, I'm pretty sure I would handle it differently.' In Patterson's view, such reflection would open 'the door for people to embrace your humanity.' 'And this is a conversation that he and I have had over the years. He agrees with me when we have the general conversation, but he never seems to adapt it. And I guess the reason that he's never adapted is that it's never actually come back to bite him,' Paterson said.
New York Post
5 days ago
- Politics
- New York Post
Dem Rep. Nadler slams Trump for 'sowing chaos' after his aide was detained by 'heavy-handed' DHS agents in Manhattan office
Longtime Democratic Rep. Jerrod Nadler slammed President Trump for 'sowing chaos' nationwide after federal agents handcuffed one of his aides inside his lower Manhattan office. The lawmaker's verbal tirade came after Department of Homeland Security officers entered the Big Apple office Wednesday and accused his staff of 'harboring rioters' in a dramatic confrontation caught on video. 'President Trump and the Department of Homeland Security are sowing chaos in our communities, using intimidating tactics against both citizens and non-citizens in a reckless and dangerous manner,' he said in a statement to Politico. Advertisement 4 Rep. Jerrod Nadler blasted Trump after DHS cuffed one of his aides. YouTube/WNYC 'If this can happen in a Member of Congress's office, it can happen to anyone — and it is happening.' The video, obtained by Gothamist, showed one agent aggressively restraining a teary-eyed female staffer, while another employee asked for a warrant and blocked a second officer from entering a private section of the congressional office, located in the same Varick Street building as federal immigration court. Advertisement 'I'm a federal officer, we're here checking on something,' the male agent said to the employee standing in his way, the footage showed. 'We have the right to check. You are harboring rioters in the office,' he argued in the heated back-and-forth that ended with the staffer granting him access to the back office. Nadler said that the 'deeply troubling' incident showed a clear violation of legal protocols. Advertisement 4 The video showed one employee asking for a warrant and blocking an officer from entering the office. YouTube/WNYC Federal Protective Service officers went to the congressman's office to conduct a security check after receiving reports that protesters were hiding inside, DHS told The Post in a statement. 'Based on earlier incidents in a nearby facility, FPS officers were concerned about the safety of the federal employees in the office and went to the location to ensure the safety and wellbeing of those present,' Homeland Security officials said. 4 Another teary-eyed staffer was cuffed during the heated confrontation. YouTube/WNYC Advertisement When they arrived, one individual – the woman who was briefly detained – was 'verbally confrontational and physically blocked access to the office' after the officers identified themselves and explained why there were there. 'The officers then detained the individual in the hallway for the purpose of completing the security check,' DHS said. 4 Nadler said the 'deeply troubling' incident violated legal protocols. Getty Images The aide was released after the fiery standoff — which reportedly erupted when a Nadler staffer invited two advocates monitoring ICE activity at the courthouse into the office. Nadler charged that the Trump administration is embracing totalitarian and authoritarian tactics. 'The Trump administration is trying to intimidate members of Congress,' Nadler told the New York Times Saturday. 'They're behaving like fascists. We have to fight them. We don't want to be a fascist country.' The White House did not immediately respond to The Post's request for comment.
Yahoo
05-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Diddy trial: Jury selection begins l A look at how we got here
The Brief Sean "Diddy" Combs is standing trial on sweeping federal charges. Jury selection began on Monday and could potentially take several days. FOX 5 NY is live inside and outside the courtroom with the very latest and will live stream coverage on YouTube and in the live player above. NEW YORK - Sean "Diddy" Combs, one of the most influential figures in music and business over the last three decades, is standing trial on sweeping federal charges. JUMP TO: LIVE UPDATES l KEY EVIDENCE l CHARGES l INDICTMENT l ACCUSATIONS l DIDDY HISTORY Prosecutors allege Combs physically and sexually abused individuals for over a decade as the acting leader of a sordid empire. Prosecutors also allege Combs used force and coercion to get victims to engage in what he called "Freak Offs," which were often recorded and could last days. Jury selection began this morning and could possibly take several days. Opening statements by the lawyers and the start of testimony are expected next week. Several dozen prospective jurors got a brief description of the sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy charges against Combs from the federal judge, Arun Subramanian, who reminded them that Combs had pleaded not guilty and was presumed innocent. As the judge spoke, Combs sat with his lawyers. He wore a sweater over a white collared shirt and gray slacks to the proceeding after the judge approved casual clothing he could wear throughout the trial rather than jail clothing. Click to open this PDF in a new window. FOX 5 NY is live inside and outside the courtroom with the very latest and will live stream coverage on YouTube and in the live player above. The judge spent a good 25 minutes addressing the jury about general issues and outlining specific concerns that they would have to identify if they are to be selected to sit on the jury, who are identified by numbers only. Juror #2 identified himself as being a licensed massage therapist. He said his sister was in a domestic abuse situation with her ex-husband and that he first heard about the Diddy case on WNYC radio. (Lisa Evers, 11:13 a.m.) Subramanian said the court will go Monday through Friday, expect the Friday before Memorial Day, Memorial Day itself, Juneteenth and the Fourth of July. (Lisa Evers 11:15 a.m.) The judge told prospective jurors that the trial is expected to run about eight weeks, but could go longer than that if necessary. (Lisa Evers 11:15 a.m.) Diddy's attorney, Mark Agnifilo, arrived alone and was the only known arrival at the time. (FOX 5 NY photog Roy Pokorny10:35 a.m.) Judge Arun Subramanian started the proceedings shortly after 9 a.m. by making several rulings on what things experts would be allowed to testify about when they take the witness stand. (Associated Press 9:45 a.m.) Check back here for live updates throughout the day. Unlike other recent high-profile celebrity trials, Combs' court case won't be broadcast live because federal courtrooms don't allow electronic recordings inside — meaning courtroom sketch artists serve as the public's eyes in the courtroom. A central piece of evidence is a surveillance video from March 2016 that shows Combs striking and kicking his then-girlfriend, R&B singer Cassie, in a Los Angeles hotel hallway. Prosecutors say the assault occurred during one of the so-called events. Cassie says in a lawsuit that Combs subjected her to years of abuse, including beatings and rape. Cassie, whose legal name is Cassandra Ventura, signed to Combs' label in 2005, and the two were on-again-off-again romantic partners for more than a decade, starting in 2007. The lawsuit filed in federal court says Combs was "prone to uncontrollable rage" and subjected her to "savage" beatings. It says he plied her with drugs, forced her to have sex with other men, and raped her in her home as she was trying to end the relationship in 2018. Combs, through his attorney, "vehemently denies" the accusations. Sean "Diddy" Combs rose to fame in the 1990s as the founder of Bad Boy Records, helping launch the careers of artists like The Notorious B.I.G., Justin Bieber, Usher and so many more. Beyond music, he built a global brand spanning fashion, beverages, and television. Throughout his career, he has gone by names like Puff Daddy, P. Diddy, and Diddy. He remains one of New York's most iconic entertainment figures — a fact that could complicate jury selection for this high-profile case. Federal prosecutors have charged Combs with a series of crimes including: Count One charges that, from at least in or about 2004 through in or about 2024, the defendant participated in a racketeering conspiracy during which he agreed with other employees and associates of his businesses to commit kidnapping, arson, bribery of a witness, obstruction of justice, drug distribution, forced labor, sex trafficking, and transportation for purposes of engaging in prostitution. Count Two charges the defendant with sex trafficking an adult female victim through force, fraud, and coercion between in or about 2009 and in or about 2018. MORE: Diddy reportedly accused by three more men of sexual assault in NYC MORE: Diddy charges explained: Racketeering and sex trafficking allegations Count Three charges the defendant with transporting that female victim and male commercial sex workers to engage in prostitution between in or about 2009 and in or about 2018. Count 4: Count Four charges the defendant with sex-trafficking a second adult female victim through force, fraud, and coercion between in or about 2021 and in or about 2024. Count Five charges the defendant with transporting that second female victim and male commercial sex workers to engage in prostitution between in or about 2021 and in or about 2024. Additional charge: Mann Act charge filed April 3 and an allegation that he forced a woman into sex trafficking between 2021 and 2023. The Mann Act is a federal law that makes it a crime to transport someone across state lines for illegal sexual activity. At the center of the allegations are what investigators call "Freak Off" parties, where victims were allegedly drugged, coerced and exploited. Combs has pleaded not guilty to all charges. MORE: Diddy reportedly accused by three more men of sexual assault in NYC MORE: Diddy charges explained: Racketeering and sex trafficking allegations In a blistering three-count indictment, Diddy is accused of running an enterprise to fulfill his sexual desires. From around 2009 and for years, he allegedly assaulted women by striking, punching, dragging, throwing objects, and kicking them. MORE Diddy charges explained: What the indictment alleges The indictment claims he operated under "The Combs Enterprise," which includes Bad Boy Entertainment, Combs Enterprises, and Combs Global, involving individuals and activities affecting interstate and foreign commerce. It also details Diddy's "Freak Off parties," where he and his associates allegedly lured female victims and then coerced them into sex acts with commercial sex workers. Since his arrest, Combs has been held at a federal detention center in Brooklyn — the borough where he was born and raised. Sources tell FOX 5 NY that security around his holding location has been heightened due to his celebrity status. Sean "Diddy" Combs is facing serious charges that include sexual assault, sex trafficking, drugging, coercion, and racketeering. These allegations span across multiple civil and criminal lawsuits, with some plaintiffs claiming that Diddy used his wealth and power to exploit and abuse vulnerable individuals. MORE: Diddy indictment: Baby oil, 'Freak Off' parties explained MORE: Diddy reportedly accused by three more men of sexual assault in NYC: Details MORE: New Diddy allegations involve 9-year-old boy, pregnant woman MORE: New Diddy allegations involve 10-year-old boy at NYC hotel, teen from 'Making the Band' The charges stem from various accusations, including participation in "Freak Off" parties, where victims were allegedly drugged and coerced into sex acts. Combs has been accused of multiple counts of abuse, trafficking, and obstruction of justice. The federal indictment against Diddy includes eight counts. The charges are extensive and include racketeering and sex trafficking, as well as more specific allegations of drugging victims and keeping an enormous supply of baby oil, orchestrating the "Freak Off" parties, and money laundering. The indictment paints a disturbing picture of a powerful figure using his influence to exploit and abuse vulnerable individuals, including minors. In the context of Diddy's legal troubles, the RICO (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act) charge plays a crucial role in the prosecution's case. According to the FBI, RICO laws allow authorities to target organizations or individuals engaged in patterns of criminal behavior over time, including activities such as money laundering, drug trafficking, extortion, and fraud. In Diddy's case, federal prosecutors have included RICO charges as part of the broader criminal indictment, alleging that he orchestrated a "freak off" sex trafficking operation, which involved drugging and coercing victims into sex acts. These allegations suggest a coordinated, long-term pattern of criminal behavior, which is a key component of what RICO is designed to address. The RICO charge helps prosecutors target not only Diddy but also any associates or business entities that may have been involved in a broader criminal enterprise. As part of the case, Diddy faces allegations of racketeering, which could lead to significant penalties if convicted, including lengthy prison sentences and substantial fines, highlighting the severity of the charges. The "Freak Offs" are described by federal prosecutors as private parties organized by Diddy, where participants were allegedly drugged and coerced into performing sex acts. These gatherings, at times, reportedly involved minors. Diddy is accused of trafficking victims and providing drugs to facilitate the abuse. Authorities are investigating further claims that these "Freak Off" parties were part of a larger pattern of sex trafficking. Diddy, originally known as Puff Daddy, became famous in the 1990s when he founded Bad Boy Records. He launched the careers of iconic hip-hop artists like The Notorious B.I.G., and the label became one of the most successful in the music industry. Diddy expanded his influence into fashion with Sean John, and into television with the reality show "Making the Band." His business savvy and larger-than-life persona made him a dominant figure in pop culture. In 1999, Diddy was involved in a shooting at a nightclub in New York City, which led to charges of bribery and weapon possession. The shooting occurred while Diddy was dating Jennifer Lopez. He was acquitted of all charges. Although this event does not relate directly to the current trial, it is part of Diddy's controversial history. Diddy has six biological children with various women, including Kim Porter and Sarah Chapman. He is also the father of Quincy Brown, Porter's son from a prior relationship. His family has been central to his public image, with his children and his late ex-partner Kim Porter making regular appearances in the media. Porter's tragic death in 2018 deeply affected Diddy, and he has publicly spoken about the impact it had on his life. MORE: Diddy family tree: The rapper's kids, their moms, and Kim Porter explained MORE: Who was Kim Porter? Diddy's ex partner, mother of 3, since passed Diddy was arrested in October 2024 at a New York City hotel on charges related to sex trafficking and drugging victims. A newly released video shows the moment of his arrest, which included his handcuffing and questioning. Authorities continue to investigate his connections to "Freak Off" parties and potential human trafficking. MORE: Video shows Diddy arrested at NYC hotel
Yahoo
28-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Who's running for NJ governor in 2025? These candidates are set to debate in May
With New Jersey's primary election less than two months away, many of the gubernatorial hopefuls from both parties will soon be squaring off in debates in the coming weeks. The first set of May debates will be sponsored by NJ PBS, NJ Spotlight News and WNYC with Republicans squaring off on Wednesday, May 7 and Democrats on Monday, May 12. The second set will be later in the month sponsored by NJ Globe, On New Jersey, Rider University and Essex County. The Republican debate will additionally feature Save Jersey as a sponsor. That will see the Democrats debate on Sunday, May 18 and Republicans debate on Tuesday May 20. More: Democratic candidates for NJ governor discuss issues of housing and justice reform The Democratic debates will feature five of the six candidates. Participants will include: Newark Mayor Ras Baraka Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop Rep. Josh Gottheimer Rep. Mikie Sherrill Former state Senate President Steve Sweeney New Jersey Education Association president Sean Spiller did not qualify. Charlie Stile: What's the potent sleeper issue in this year's NJ governor's race? The Republican candidates participating will be: State Sen. Jon Bramnick Former Assemblyman Jack Ciattarelli Radio personality Bill Spadea Former Englewood Cliffs Mayor Mario Kranjac and Justin Barbera, a Burlington County contractor, did not qualify. Katie Sobko covers the New Jersey Statehouse. Email: sobko@ This article originally appeared on Who's running for NJ governor 2025? Candidates set for debate
