GAETZ GATE + CUOMO CONUNDRUM: He hasn’t even announced a run for governor yet, but Democrats are already signaling their attacks. And Mike Lawler is not backing down. The head of the state Democratic Party is taking aim at the Republican House member for voting against the release of a House Ethics Committee’s report on former Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz. “Matt Gaetz has been credibly accused of sex with a minor and sex trafficking,” Jay Jacobs told Playbook in a statement. “Mike Lawler’s vote to shield Gaetz’s outrageous actions from public scrutiny shows what we already know: he will do whatever it takes to appease Donald Trump and Republican leadership.” Lawler voted twice with nearly every other member of his party — including the rest of the New York Republican delegation — to block a Democratic-led effort to force the House Ethics Committee to release its report on Gaetz. The vote was brought to the floor after Gaetz resigned from congress and dropped out of contention to be President-elect Donald Trump’s attorney general. Had the measure been successful, it would have forced the committee to make the extremely rare decision to release a report on a former member. Lawler is hitting back, saying Gov. Kathy Hochul — whom he is considering challenging in 2026 — was complicit in former Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s alleged sexual harassment of 11 women. Cuomo has repeatedly denied those allegations and a report substantiating them. “Then-Lt. Governor Kathy Hochul shamefully buried her head in the sand for months, if not years, while Andrew Cuomo groped and grabbed his way through Albany — making now Governor Hochul complicit in the sexual harassment of countless women,” Nate Soule, Lawler’s spokesperson, said in a statement. “That’s a fact,” Soule added. “Neither she nor Jay Jacobs, who was also shamefully silent, have any credibility on this issue. To the contrary, no Republican Member of Congress has been more outspoken regarding Matt Gaetz and his alleged behavior.” The finger pointing is a preview of just how nasty the 2026 race for governor could end up, if Hochul survives a primary challenge. Rich Azzopardi, a spokesperson for Cuomo, told Playbook the former governor has repeatedly said he never sexually harassed anyone. “Five DAs looked at these allegations and didn't bring a single case forward, and the civil litigation that arose from these allegations has been falling apart, most recently, after this week, when Charlotte Bennett dropped her case against the governor,” Azzopardi said. “Lawler is a punk, who's been weirdly obsessed with the governor ever since Congress’s only Michael Jackson impersonator moonwalked Rob Astorino’s campaign for governor to the ground.” Lawler actually faced ire from the online right for criticizing Gaetz and celebrating his withdrawal from consideration for the attorney general. The Hudson Valley Republican also called Gaetz a “clown and a charlatan” outside the Capitol. Lawler’s eagerness to criticize Gaetz underscores his effort to come across as a moderate Republican. His political career has been defined by his record of winning races in districts that overwhelmingly vote blue in presidential elections. (Part of the strategy includes reminding voters — again and again — that he is ranked the fourth most bipartisan member of congress). “Talk is cheap, and his votes speak louder than words,” Jacobs said. “Buckle up, it’s going to be a long two years for Mike Lawler as he tries to navigate MAGA Washington.” — Jason Beeferman
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