New York Democratic gubernatorial candidate Andrew Cuomo says allegations of marital infidelity leveled at him by his Republican rival are demeaning and hurtful.
And it turns out they may have been completely fabricated.
Cuomo made his comments Friday on New York City's Staten Island, where he was endorsed by the conservative borough president, James Molinaro. It was the first time Cuomo has spoken publicly since his GOP opponent, Carl Paladino, suggested in an interview Wednesday that Cuomo may have had "paramours" during his marriage to now ex-wife Kerry Kennedy.
Paladino, in fact, got quite angry when confronted about the allegations by New York Post reporter Fred Dicker -- to the point of a near-fist fight.
But the Tea Partier on Thursday night told his hometown paper that he actually didn't have any evidence of Cuomo's infidelity at all.
"I'm sick and tired of people asking me about if I've had affairs," Paladino told The Buffalo News. "I was talking to [a Politico.com reporter] and said, 'Why don't you ask Andrew Cuomo if he has had extramarital affairs?' It's not that I was accusing him."
And Paladino's campaign manager Michael Caputo said Paladino misspoke Wednesday night when he told Dicker that he would provide proof of Cuomo's affair "at the appropriate time."
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Meanwhile Paladino has acknowledged fathering a child with a mistress 10 years ago.
Cuomo says Paladino's comments have hurt his family. He and Kennedy have three daughters.
