Here is the expanded second item of my “Albany Insider” column from Monday’s print editions:
Maria Comella, a former close aide to New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, has recently been advising Gov. Cuomo on his upcoming State of the State address and other issues, sources say.
A long-time Republican player, Comella made headlines after breaking with Christie by publicly supporting Democrat Hillary Clinton over Donald Trump.
She was a top communications and policy advisor to Christie in the governor’s office and for his failed 2016 presidential campaign. She previously worked on presidential campaigns for George W. Bush, Sarah Palin, and Rudy Giuliani.
Her hiring by Cuomo has raised eyebrows. Cuomo has been criticized by some fellow Dems of being too close to Republicans, particularly in the state Senate. He lured two top aides away from the state Senate Republicans this past year and in 2014 hired veteran GOP operative Susan Del Percio, who has since left the administration.
“I don’t know what he is,” said one Dem of Cuomo.
Cuomo has been mentioned as a potential 2020 Democratic presidential candidate and it’s likely Comella and her knowledge of national politics is viewed as a plus.
Cuomo aides confirmed Comella has been offering “strategic advice” to the governor. They said she will be on the state payroll, but her exact role is still being worked out.
“Maria is one of the most respected people in the field and hands down one of the nation’s top political communications professionals,” said Cuomo Chief of Staff Melissa DeRosa. “We’ve worked together in various capacities in the past and look forward to working together in the future.”
In saying she was voting for Clinton over Trump, Comella decried Republicans for not speaking out against their nominee’s racist and misogynist language.
“We are here today in part because as a party in the past we have remained silent when things have made us uncomfortable,” she said in a statement to CNN. “Instead of speaking out against instances of bigotry, racism and inflammatory rhetoric whether it’s been against women, immigrants or Muslims, we made a calculus that it was better to say nothing at all in the interest of politics and winning elections. For me, if our party has a future, we have to change that trajectory and lead by example.”
She added: “”I’m voting for Hillary Clinton in November and I’m voting for her because I don’t believe it’s enough to say you aren’t for Donald Trump. My mom and dad were Republicans, but they didn’t always vote Republican. There are times when principle trumps (no pun intended) party and we have to be okay with acknowledging that.”
Cuomo during the campaign ripped New York Republicans for denouncing Trump’s past comments and behavior against women but not backing away from the candidate himself. Cuomo, however, gave a pass to Comella’s old boss, Christie. He said he was staying out of the Jersey politics, though critics noted he has had a close relationship with his Republican cross-tunnel couterpart.
Christie as head of the Republican Governors Association stayed out of Cuomo’s reelection race in 2014 while Cuomo remained relativeily mum on the Bridgegate scandal that engulfed Christie and his administration.
Comella, according to her Linkedin page, also once briefly worked for former New York Republican Gov. George Pataki.
