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A year ago, Andrew Cuomo enjoyed heroic status in left-wing liberal America and in the media.
It was the beginning of the corona epidemic.
At that time, the Democratic governor of New York even turned into an opponent of Donald Trump.
The fact that his brother, Chris, a well-known CNN talk host, would occasionally interview him in a friendly manner, only added to his popularity.
Where Trump played down the virus, made absurd prognoses and recommended the intake of hydroxychloroquine, Cuomo appeared rational, presented figures soberly, spoke empathically, repeatedly referring to his own mother.
He did that well.
This went so far that even Cuomos was speculating about a presidential candidacy.
Everything seemed to be going well for the eloquent establishment Democrat.
Even the White House was suddenly considered conquerable by Cuomo.
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In February 2021, while Joe Biden has long been ruling the White House, everything that can go wrong is going wrong for Cuomo.
Within a few weeks, Cuomo has become the bogeyman of American politics.
Cuomo lost and is losing trust, is confronted with various scandals, not least in the management of the epidemic.
Another tough, politically dangerous allegation against Cuomo became known on Saturday evening.
A former employee accused him of sexual harassment, reports the New York Times.
Accordingly, the 25-year-old Charlotte Bennett accused him of having asked her about her sex life.
Cuomo, 63, asked whether she was monogamous in her relationships and whether she had ever had sex with older men.
Bennett served as a health policy advisor to the New York state government through November 2020.
She reported on a conversation with Cuomo in his office in the Capitol of the capital Albany on June 5, according to the "New York Times".
The governor has asked her numerous questions about her personal life, including whether she thinks age plays a role in romantic relationships.
He also said that he was open to relationships with women from the age of 22.
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Cuomo said in a statement that he believed he had acted as a "mentor".
He never intended to act inappropriately.
Cuomo did not reject the allegations.
The governor called for an independent review of the matter and asked New Yorkers to await the relevant results before making "any judgments."
Bennett said during the June 5 encounter, Cuomo complained about the loneliness during the pandemic and mentioned that he "can't even hug anyone."
When he asked her: "Who was the last one I hugged?" Although Cuomo never tried to touch her, Bennett said, his message was clear to her.
"I got it that the governor wanted to sleep with me," she said.
She felt "terribly uncomfortable and scared".
It was only on Wednesday that another former employee, Lindsey Boylan, made allegations against Cuomo.
Cuomo had molested her on several occasions between 2016 and 2018, and once gave her an unsolicited kiss on the lips in his Manhattan office.
Cuomo had the allegation dismissed.
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It was only in mid-February that Cuomo hit the headlines because he was trying to put pressure on a fellow party member.
That was directed against Ron Kim, 41, who has been a member of the State Assembly for eight years, i.e. the parliament of the state of New York.
Kim has long criticized Cuomo's handling of nursing homes during the pandemic and calls for appropriate investigations.
After it became known that the Cuomo government had withheld data on nursing homes from lawmakers, Kim intensified his criticism - and expressed it in the conservative "New York Post". On the same late evening, Kim said he received an angry call from the governor.
"Are you an honorable man?" Cuomo asked him, said Kim, and then yelled at him for ten minutes.
During a press conference, Cuomo later publicly attacked the MP, speaking of a "long and hostile relationship" with Kim.
For weeks now, Cuomo's government has received considerable criticism for dealing with nursing homes during the epidemic.
There is talk of a cover-up.
The government in New York recently corrected itself by doubling the number of 8500 deaths of nursing home residents mentioned to date to more than 15,000.
Unlike at the beginning of the epidemic, Cuomo's corona management is considered miserable.
Criticism of Cuomo's corona policy is becoming increasingly loud in its own party.
Eleven Democratic MPs from New York's State Assembly are calling for a resolution to reprimand Cuomo's actions, reports the New York Post.
Republican MPs even speak of impeachment proceedings against Cuomo.
So far, it has been expected that Cuomo will run for governor again next year, for a fourth term.
Does he still have enough confidence for that?
There is already speculation that the left Democratic congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, 31, could apply for governor.
Cuomo has been governor since 2011 and was last confirmed with 60 percent. In his last election campaign in 2018, he repeatedly attacked the then President Trump. Cuomo accused Trump of being “un-American” and a “coward”, as well as racism, bigotry, intolerance - and sexism.