Mother Jones illustration; Kent Nishimura/Getty; Lev Radin/Pacific Press/LightRocket/Getty
The staff of Mother Jones is, once again, rounding up the heroes and monsters of the past year. Importantly, this is a completely non-exhaustive and subjective list, giving our reporters a chance to write about something that brought joy or discontent. Enjoy.
The appointees for the incoming administration are a mix of woefully uncredentialed and downright dangerous. Several, including the president-elect himself, share another common denominator: They stand accused of sexual misconduct.
But this trend is not limited to those who seek to serve Donald Trump. In New York, Andrew Cuomo and Anthony Weiner, two politicos forced to resign over their own sexual misconduct scandals, apparently believe that 2025 is the year they return to the public arena. The positions Cuomo and Weiner reportedly seek? Cuomo is thirsting for the New York City mayorship, a post already engulfed in controversy after the current monster, Eric Adams, was indicted on a slew of federal corruption charges. As for Weiner, he’s registered as a candidate for a New York City Council seat.
So is something in the water? What could compel two disreputable men, bona fide sex pests, to believe that they are the leaders New York needs?
Cuomo, who has not formally announced his bid to replace Adams, would mark a political comeback for the books following his 2021 resignation as New York governor after a string of damning sexual harassment allegations. A federal Justice Department investigation later concluded that he indeed sexually harassed 13 women who worked for the state. The same report found that Cuomo and his staff frequently retaliated against his accusers. He has since echoed Trumpian talking points, blaming “coup” forces and so-called “cancel culture” for his spectacular demise. (Remember, this is a guy once widely considered as a potential, if not inevitable, contender for Democratic presidential nominee.)
Weiner, of course, served 18 months in prison after sending explicit photos to a 15-year-old girl. That investigation into the former New York congressman and ex-husband to Huma Abedin, Hillary Clinton’s longtime aide, led the FBI to stumble upon those Clinton emails; many in Clinton-world blame Weiner for her 2016 presidential collapse. But Weiner’s sordid sexual history goes even further back. He has an extensive record of sending sexually explicit photos, many while married and some of which were sent using the now-infamous alias Carlos Danger. Following his conviction, Weiner was forced to register as a sex offender.
The downfalls of these men were never the result of one-off mistakes or fleeting errors of judgment that could justify the case for a second chance. Instead, Cuomo and Weiner—and, perhaps more crucially, their reported interests in returning to government—are symptomatic of what ails many men: a refusal to be held accountable, with barely a concern given to those left hurt. We see this play out all the time. The denials of Gisèle Pelicot’s humanity. The manosphere. “Your body, my choice.” As for the public, most folks are happy to settle into comfy amnesia should the occasion benefit them, whether that’s because the circumstances are entertaining—after all, everyone loves a comeback story—or whatever reason you could explain Trump’s return to power.
But perhaps most of all, it’s entitlement. That unshakeable belief in your own promise, no matter how poorly you’ve behaved or how much hurt you’ve imparted. Here’s to hoping New Yorkers reject any efforts to reward such a humiliating delusion.
