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In an interview on NBC’s “Today” show, Hochul made the announcement that she intends to run for a full term in 2022 when the current term expires.
“Yes, I will. I fully expect to,” she said. “I am prepared for this. I have led a life working in every level of government, from Congress to local government.
“I am the most prepared person to assume this responsibility and I’m going to ask the voters at some point for their faith in me again but right now I need their faith, I need their prayers and I need their support to make sure we get this right.”
A day after distancing herself from Cuomo and his administration during her introductory press conference, Hochul again stayed at arm’s length from the soon-to-be ousted governor during her “Today” interview.
“That was very much an insular situation, what was going on in his office. I think if anyone knows my career, they know that I have not been close to the governor, it’s no secret,” she stated.
“So I've not been in the rooms when this has happened, and it is actually sickening to me to see this surface. And my heart goes out to the young women in particular who have been toiling in this environment."
Hochul reiterated that she has not made any deals to pardon the embattled governor, who has promised a smooth transition of power before she officially takes over on Tuesday, Aug. 24.
“I don't believe it's my position to weigh in on that situation, but I have full confidence in the assembly judiciary committee as well as the full assembly to do what is right,” she said about the impeachment inquiry into Cuomo.
“I don't have a voice in this, and I want that process to play out independently of the responsibilities that I will have, which are quite weighty on day one.”
The lieutenant governor also vowed that her administration will be restocked, transparent, and not “toxic,” a word that was used to describe Cuomo’s workplace environment by multiple staffers in the Attorney General’s report that doomed him.
“I’ve been traveling the state and do not spend much time in his presence,” she said. “It's very clear from the AG’s report that the governor and I have not been close physically or otherwise in some time. When my term is over, no one will ever describe my workplace as being a toxic work environment. It's no secret that I have not been close or associated with that."
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