Cuomo seeks to fill communications job amid nursing home, harassment scandals

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New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo's office is looking for a new senior communications officer to handle "messaging," as they navigate their way through scandals involving the administration's handling of nursing homes during the coronavirus pandemic and a recent allegation of sexual harassment.

A listing for the position, senior communications lead for strategy and messaging, was posted on Daybook on Wednesday, Feb. 24, as discovered by Yahoo News reporter Hunter Walker.

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"The State of New York's Executive Chamber has an immediate opening for a top level executive to lead messaging for the Office of the Governor. The position reports to the Communications Director," the listing says.

The job is advertised as paying between $100,000 and $150,000 per year, and duties include developing "creative messaging to help explain the State's public policy priorities."

Cuomo senior adviser Rich Azzopardi responded to Walker's tweet, saying that the administration had been seeking someone for the role since at least October. A separate posting on Daybook under the slightly different title of Senior Communications Manager for Strategic Messaging was posted on the site on Oct. 11, 2020.

Meanwhile, a listing under the updated job title on LinkedIn says it was posted three weeks ago.

Fox News asked Cuomo's office when they first began looking for a candidate for the job and why they posted a new listing this week, but they did not immediately respond.

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The new listing for a strategic messaging official comes as Cuomo has faced scrutiny over his messaging during the state's nursing home scandal. After aide Melissa DeRosa reportedly told Democratic state lawmakers that the office intentionally kept information about nursing home deaths under wraps to avoid possible repercussions from the Justice Department, Cuomo claimed that in reality they had merely paused their response to state lawmakers in order to address the DOJ's request, and that they had informed state lawmakers of this.

Several members of the state legislature claim that this is false, and that Cuomo never told them about the federal investigation. Democratic State Assemblyman Ron Kim claimed that Cuomo pushed him to issue a statement echoing his version of what happened, only to threaten Kim when he would not go along with it.

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"No, we will not be a partner in your corruption and your bad behavior, we will stand up and do the right thing and protect the integrity of the Senate and the Assembly," Kim told WNYC radio host Brian Lehrer.

Azzopardi claimed that Cuomo did not threaten Kim, and accused the assemblyman of "lying" about what happened.

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Cuomo's office is also currently dealing with sexual harassment allegations from former deputy secretary for economic development and special adviser to the governor Lindsey Boylan, who claimed that when she worked for the governor he would make inappropriate comments and once kissed her on the lips in his New York City office.

Cuomo's office has denied Boylan's allegations, calling them "quite simply false."

Fox News' Vandana Rambaran contributed to this report.