Joe Biden’s Shocking Pick For Attorney General Is A Controversial One

Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden is considering New York Governor Andrew Cuomo as attorney general for his potential administration.

Speculation of his role within a Biden administration began when aides at the National Governor Association, which Cuomo chairs,  began looking for contingencies to replace him.

Democratic donors close to Cuomo have allegedly reported that the governor is being pushed for the attorney general job and that Biden is considering him for the role based on their many years of friendship.

An attorney general within the Biden administration would be under heavy political pressure to go after former Trump administration officials and manage civil unrest over police violence that has affected cities nationwide.

Gov. Cuomo was asked earlier this year if he would accept a potential Cabinet post within a Biden administration. He replied that he was content to remain Governor of New York.

“I was in a Cabinet, I was in Bill Clinton’s Cabinet, been there, done that,” Cuomo said. “I don’t want to go to Washington. They couldn’t drag me, they couldn’t force me. I only represent the people of the state. I have no agenda besides theirs.”

“I am governor of New York and that’s all I want to be.” @NYGovCuomo says he supports Joe Biden for president and he would not accept a cabinet position if offered. pic.twitter.com/1dUuTUjAx6

— Good Morning America (@GMA) June 17, 2020

Cuomo was Secretary of Housing and Urban Development from 1997 to 2001 during the Clinton administration.

Earlier this year, Cuomo’s national profile was raised for how he handled the coronavirus pandemic. However, his favorability dropped after he mandated that coronavirus patients be sent to nursing homes from hospitals, a decision which was blamed for nearly 6,000 deaths.

The mandate required nursing homes to take patients in as long as they were deemed medically stable. The nursing homes were further prohibited from testing any incoming resident for the coronavirus before their arrival.

The Director of Communications for President Trump’s 2020 campaign, Tim Murtaugh, said, “There is zero chance that President Trump will appoint Gov. Cuomo attorney general in his second term.”