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282: Scandal Season: Why September Sparks Media, Celebrity, and Political Firestorms

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September marks the beginning of scandal season, when politicians, celebrities, and the media heat up with controversy. In this episode, we break down the crisis communication tactics used by high-profile figures, focusing on New York City Mayor Eric Adams and his response to federal charges of bribery and fraud.

We take a closer look at Adams’ video statement and compare it to strategies used by former President Bill Clinton during the Monica Lewinsky scandal and former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo as he faced sexual harassment allegations. The language, optics, and emotional appeals in these public appearances reveal a shared crisis playbook: denial, deflection, and controlling the narrative through video.

Mentioned in this episode:

  • Breakdown of Eric Adams’ video response
  • Bill Clinton’s 11-word denial
  • Andrew Cuomo’s blend of denial and emotional appeal
  • Strategic timing of scandals in September and October

Whether you’re a PR professional or just fascinated by how public figures manage high-stakes scandals, this episode is packed with essential lessons in crisis management. Tune in to learn how these politicians use crisis communication to shape their public image—and their legacy.

Join Molly on Patreon for even deeper dives into celebrity PR strategies and exclusive live sessions!

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© 2024 The PR Breakdown with Molly McPherson

Ep: 282 Scandal Season: Why September Sparks Media, Celebrity, and Political Firestorms (A Deep Dive into Mayor Eric Adams)

Molly: September has passed, but scandal season is far from over.

Welcome back to the PR Breakdown. I'm your host, Molly McPherson, and if you're fascinated by the way PR strategies shape public perception, this episode is for you. We've just wrapped up September, historically one of the busiest months for scandals and big news. But as we move into October, the stories continue.

Today, let's look at New York City Mayor Eric Adams and how he is dealing with his controversy and how his response mirrors those of former President Bill Clinton and Former New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo.

 Even though September is behind us, scandal season is in full swing. Hey,  and so is baseball. Let's begin with political playbooks used by politicians in crisis. The art of denial, carefully crafted language, and the optics of the video statement. From Bill Clinton's iconic Insert the 11 words here to Andrew Cuomo's emotional appeal as he faced sexual harassment allegations.

That brings us to New York City Mayor Eric Adams. He put out a video statement recently in his response to federal charges. So these three politicians may be separated by time and circumstance, but the thread that runs through all of it. And all their responses is unmistakable. 

Let's break down the optics of their appearances. Analyze the language they use, spoiler, to deny the allegations and examine how each of them attempted to control the narrative in the face of scandal.

First up. Mayor Eric Adams. He's been indicted on five federal charges related to bribery, wire fraud, conspiracy, and soliciting campaign contributions from foreign nationals.

The investigation into Adams was first publicly announced last year. If you remember around this time in the fall, his name all of a sudden was being thrust into a political scandal spotlight. A quick side note for a personal story last year at this time. I was dealing with the death of my father, and right after his funeral, I had to get on a plane and fly to Rochester, New York to speak to the Northeast District of PRSA.

That's the Public Relations Society of America. I did not want to cancel, but boy, did I not want to talk on stage at all. I just wanted to, like, crawl into a hole and cry.  But Judy called and one of the tactics that I use in a lot of my keynotes I like to start off with whatever is trending in the news at that moment that gives me a great launching point to eventually get to a lesson for anyone in the audience interested in PR communication. And at that time I was struggling because my head was stuck in the mud with grief anyway. But as I landed in New York and I was in my hotel in Rochester was the night before and I was exhausted.

Thankfully, I have Someone in my life, very near and dear and close to me, , who happens to be an anchor and a reporter in New York , you've probably seen him on my social media. This would be Greg Floyd. He works for the CBS affiliate in Albany. It is his duty as the guy in my life to help me in such situations.

I told him, I need a story fast. And he immediately said Eric Adams because that was the day the news was posted about the investigation into his transactions. It was fall. We'll come back to that. But it gave me the perfect entree into this talk. When I opened with that question, I asked, , the room Hey, you're all newsies here.

Anyone following the big news story? Nobody knew what I was talking about, except for one woman. I love this woman. I ended up seeing her at another conference. Never, met her before. This moment where she raised her hand and talked about Eric Adams. And it was just at the point that I was talking about how stories leak and how stories spread.

 I asked her, how did you find out about the story? She said that she knew someone who worked for, I'll just say a Senator, , in New York. So it was leaked to her. It was perfect. It was like, she was a ringer for me. But when it comes to    political scandal, it just.

blend so nicely with crisis communication tactics that we can see. Now, he is the first New York City mayor to face federal charges. I know what you're thinking. Giuliani wasn't in that mix. No, because when Giuliani left his role as New York mayor, when he left that office, it was September 11th around that time, 2001.

So in his last weeks as the mayor of New York City, Giuliani was able to well, traditionally, I might say cement himself, but clearly he didn't. But as a leader in time of crisis, that was his time in 2000. One. But Adams is the first one to face federal charges while in office. 

Prosecutors are alleging that the corruption has dated back years. The investigation has implicated several of his top aides

and many people in his administration have now stepped down. So this case is definitely gaining significant momentum. Now, last week, Adams made a public statement. He wanted to directly address,, the rumors swirling around him and the eventual indictment. We're going to analyze the response and the video.

Now, all the examples that I'm going to provide in this episode are about politicians using Video for statements because it allows them to control the narrative in a highly strategic way video offers a direct line to the public by bypassing traditional media outlets that might interpret or edit their words.

With video, they can craft their tone, their body language, and their settings to present themselves in the best possible light. Usually they want to appear confident, sincere.

Video also taps into the power of visuals, perfect for politicians when they try to humanize themselves, because they want to create that connection with the viewer, wherever that person is watching that video. And nowadays in the era of social media, politicians know that their message is going to be delivered directly to the viewer.

People's phones and in their hands, they don't want the interference from external commentary or analysis. It's certainly going to be there. If you go to YouTube and you type in Eric Adams response. You're going to get a lot of links that will lead you to news commentary, but you'll also get a direct link straight to the video.

The optics. Adams is standing at a lectern. He's wearing a blue suit, his little kerchief, a fuchsia. Tie, interesting, kind of purple, little red, little blue. He's a Democrat, , but his response, is part of a very Republican playbook. There's an American flag in the background , we have a fireplace empty mantle with a beige and cream stripes behind him, which by the way, is one of my favorite aesthetics, even though it's quite dated.

And I've always, I s I remember looking at a house when I lived outside of Washington, D. C. and they had the exact same wall of paper in the entryway. I absolutely loved it, so whenever I see it, I note it. But does it work for Eric Adams? We shall see. Now, his words. I'm going to play a clip from his video statement.

I want you to listen for the crisis communication tactic.

Eric Adams: My fellow New Yorkers, it is now my belief that the federal government intends to charge me with crimes. If so, these charges will be entirely false, based on lies. But they would not be surprising. I always knew that if I stood my ground for   all of you, that I would be a target. And a target I became. For months, leaks and rumors have been aimed at me.

In an attempt to undermine my credibility and paint me as guilty. Just this past week, they searched the home of our new police commissioner, looking for documents from 20 years ago, just one week after he joined my administration. Enough. I will fight these injustices with every ounce of my strength and my spirit.

If I'm charged, I know I am innocent. I will request an immediate trials so the New Yorkers can hear the truth. New Yorkers know my story. They know where I come from. I have been fighting injustice my entire life. That fight has continued as your mayor. Despite our police, when the  federal government did nothing as its broken immigration policies overloaded our shelter system with no relief, I put the people of New York before party and politics.

Now, if I am charged, many may say I should resign because I cannot manage the city while fighting the case. I can also understand how everyday New Yorkers would be concerned that I cannot do my job while I face accusation. But I have been facing these lies for months. Since I began to speak out for all of you and their investigation started.

Yet the city has continued to improve. Make no mistake, you elected me to lead this city. And lead it, I will. I humbly ask for your prayers and your patience as we see this through. God bless you.  And God bless the City of New York. Thank you.

Molly: Did you hear the classic strategy? Adams positioned himself as the victim, claiming he can't effectively do his job if he is removed from office, and that the citizens of New York would suffer without his leadership. The approach, if you were to watch the entire video, I have a link in the show notes, His approach blends denial, victimization, and the implied threat that his absence would result in harm to the city's progress.

His fight as a battle, and it's not just for his reputation, but it's for the people he claims to represent.

But if you look at the charges, if you always look at the indictment charges, they're always in the self interest of the person. The denial and blame strategy, that's what Adams deployed. When you listen to politicians or really anyone stand up, at a lectern, Or in front of a camera, or even in a statement,  we hear outright denials and shifting the blame.

Using outside forces is something that we hear more and more nowadays in people's PR playbook. His core message is, hey, if I'm charged, I know that I'm innocent, but hey, you're the ones who are going to pay the price for it. He's also painting the investigation as politically Motivated.

Adams isn't the first politician to take this route. Let's move on to two other politicians, both Democrats who followed a similar playbook during their own 

 let's turn to Bill Clinton and the 11 words uttered that go down in history. But first, analyze the setup. Roosevelt room, the White House.

It's a Monday morning. The first lady, Hillary Rodham Clinton. Remember she was Rodham. Had an event. It was a childcare event headlined by her, but the president took it over. And he also brought in vice president Al Gore.

When you watch this video link in the show notes, he looks like he wants to be. Anywhere else but there, Hillary is the one who opened up the remarks because she was there for her event, but she went over to Al Gore to do the entree into President Clinton's response. They, the White House want, the White House wanted to add that buffer there, so it wouldn't be a direct link back to Hillary defending her husband, even though she, as we all know in history, did that.

For those of you who were there, it will be a reminder for those of you who are new to this, take a listen to former President Bill Clinton in his response to allegations that he was having an affair with an intern, that woman, Miss Lewinsky.

Bill Clinton: Please be seated. Now, I have to go back to work on  my State of the Union speech. very much. And I worked on it until pretty late last night. But I want to say one thing to the American people. I want you to listen to me. I'm going to say this again. I did not have sexual relations with that woman, Miss Lewinsky.

I never told anybody to lie, not a single time, never. These allegations are false. And I need to go back to work for the American people. 

Molly: His strategy was firm, deny, then immediately shift the focus to his presidential duties, just like Eric Adams did when he emphasized his work for the people of New York. Clinton's tactic wasn't unique. You know, a lot of politicians deploy this similar approach when they're faced with a scandal. former president Donald Trump used the same technique during his impeachment  trials, consistently denying all the charges and focusing on his role of returning to the White House.

 The Trump campaign quote, this is nothing more than the latest corrupt chapter in the continued pathetic attempt by the Biden crime family and their weaponized department of justice to interfere with the 2024 presidential election in which president Trump is the undisputed front runner and leading by substantial margins.

Unquote. That's the statement. The facts prove otherwise. But the key here for both former presidents is that creating a strong narrative that deflects attention from the issue buys them time in the hopes that the public interest will wane.

Working.

All right, our third politician. Let's fast forward now to 2021 and Andrew Cuomo under investigation for several things, but the main issue leading up to his resignation concerns sexual harassment allegations that range from inappropriate comments to groping. According to an investigative report, he sexually harassed 11 women, many of whom had worked for him or the state of New York.

Other issues. How has administration handled data on the COVID 19 related deaths in nursing homes, his 5 million that he received, , from his, Pandemic leadership years that turned into a book deal. Also, whether friends and relatives were given special access to COVID 19 tests early in the pandemic. My goodness, it seems like ages ago, doesn't it?

Yet here we are. Governor Cuomo, lapel pin, blue suit, white shirt, blue tie, Democrat. Standing, I believe we can't tell the camera is cut at his chest. If he were standing, it seems to be shorter based on the background, but we don't know because it's a tight shot. But in that background, we have the familiar.

Hearth of a fireplace. We have two candles on the fireplace. We have an American flag over his right shoulder and the state flag of this and the flag and the state flag of New York over his left shoulder. If you remember. Back in the day, Cuomo was a TV star. I remember tweeting about him, about how he was doing, his press conferences, they were riveting. , he really had a way of connecting with the audience, but little did we know that What was motivating this connection was what he was doing behind the scenes.

Clearly, Cuomo wanted to get back some of that magic that landed him that 5 million book deal and also in the good graces of a lot of people in New York and nationwide. Take a listen.

Andrew Cuomo: Trial by newspaper or biased reviews are not the way to find the facts in this matter.

I welcome the opportunity for a full and fair review before a judge in a jury because this just did not happen. complainants raised against me questions. That have sought to unfairly characterize and weaponize everyday interactions that I've had with any number of New Yorkers. The New York Times published a front page picture of me touching a woman's face at a wedding and then kissing her on the cheek.

That is not front page news. I've been making the same gesture in public. All my life. I actually learned it from my mother. And from my father. It is meant to convey warmth. Nothing more. Indeed, there are hundreds, if not thousands of photos of me using the exact same gesture. I [00:19:00] do it with everyone. Black and white.

Young and old. An old, straight, and LGBTQ, powerful people, friends, strangers, people who I meet on the street. After the event, the woman told the press that she took offense at the gesture. And for that, I apologize. Another woman stated, That I kissed her on the forehead at our Christmas party and that I said, Ciao, Bella.

Now, I don't remember doing it, but I'm sure that I did. I do kiss people on the forehead. I do kiss people on the cheek. I do kiss people on the hand. I do embrace people. I do hug people. Men and women. I do on occasion say, Ciao, Bella on occasion. I do slip and say, sweetheart or darling or honey.

Molly: It's starting to sound familiar, the playbook, right?

Governor Cuomo, lapel pin, blue suit, white shirt, blue tie, Democrat. Standing, I believe we can't tell the camera is cut at his chest. If he were standing, it seems to be shorter based on the background, but we don't know because it's a tight shot. But in that background, we have the familiar.

Hearth of a fireplace. We have two candles on the fireplace. We have an American flag over his right shoulder and the state flag of this and the flag and the state flag of New York over his left shoulder.

All three optics very similar. They're in their official residence. They are standing by something that is homey, right? Comfortable, nothing that, okay, all three are poised and all three are shown in shots where they're standing in a home like setting.

All three filmed in their government housing or a residential setting. Gives it that homey, comfortable feeling. You don't want to make it too formal if you're a politician. You want to connect with the voter. This is not a time to remind them that you are in a certain office.

In the video statement, and honestly, if you're into this stuff like I am, you have to listen to the entire Cuomo statement. That man creates a labyrinth of self interest, of family, of Cuomo's hearkening back to the days. He brings in his father. He brings in his mother. He brings in his family. He uses every device he possibly can to try and evoke some type of victimology.

He denies all inappropriate behavior. He says he never touched anyone inappropriately. He never made inappropriate sexual advantage. Cuomo's goal was to control the message and deny the most damaging aspects of, okay, but like Clinton and like Adams, Cuomo's goal was to control the message and deny the most damaging aspects to the allegation.

In Cuomo's video statement, he denies any appropriate behavior. He stated, I never touched anyone inappropriately or made inappropriate sexual advances. That is a hard denial. Yet, like Adams and Clinton, Cuomo's goal really is just to control the message and to deny the most damaging aspects of the allegation.

He needs to soften the edges What's most damaging. That's why Adams isn't talking specifically about the charges. That's why President Clinton does not say Monica Lewinsky. He needed to diminish it to create distance. Cuomo's approach was slightly different. He blended denial with an emotional appeal. He referenced his personal connection to the issue by sharing a story about a family family member who was a survivor of sexual assault.

Anyone listening to that would think, is he a father speaking about his daughter or perhaps his sister? This is an attempt to humanize himself and explain why he may have acted in ways that were misinterpreted. Also, you notice that he brings in the news media. He doesn't talk about broadcast news where his brother, Chris Cuomo works at CNN at the time.

He just takes a hit at newspaper. Then he talks about him as Cuomo, Cuomo being Cuomo. 

Andrew Cuomo: That is not front page news. I've been making the same gesture in public. All my life. I actually learned it from my mother. And from my father. It is meant to convey warmth. Nothing more. Indeed, there are hundreds, if not thousands of photos of me using the exact same gesture. I do it with everyone. Black and white.

Young and old. An old, straight, and LGBTQ, powerful people, friends, strangers, people who I meet on the street. After the event, the woman told the press that she took offense at the gesture. And for that, I apologize. Another woman stated, That I kissed her on the forehead at our Christmas party and that I said, Ciao, Bella.

Now, I don't remember doing it, but I'm sure that I did. I do kiss people on the forehead. I do kiss people on the cheek. I do kiss people on the hand. I do embrace people. I do hug people. Men and women. I do on occasion say, Ciao, Bella on occasion. I do slip and say, sweetheart or darling or honey. 

Molly: Again, he's trying to dismiss the subtle blame in his remarks is when he points to quote, the woman told the press that she took offense at the gesture. He's blaming the victim, then he noted that another woman stated that he had kissed her on the forehead at a Christmas party.

 Hey, I'm a Cuomo. I'm Italian. This is what we do. Did it work? Hmm. , this strategy allowed him to strike a balance between denying the allegations and showing empathy while asking for sympathy. He was using his family. He was using his Italian heritage what's the takeaway here? Denial, partial admissions, and shifting blame are key tools in political PR, especially when facing a scandal of this magnitude for all three politicians. Eric Adams is following the playbook.

Laid out by Clinton and Cuomo, denying the most damaging allegations, playing the victim and attempting to redirect focus to accomplishments. Politicians facing scandal often turned to video because it allows them to control the message and create a direct emotional connection. With the public. So whether it's Adams claiming he's a victim, Clinton issuing a firm denial, or Cuomo blending denial with empathy, the use of video helps them craft a narrative that resonates with their supporters.

And while the media landscape has changed dramatically since Clinton's time, the tactic remains effective because it provides politicians with the ability to manage public perception on their own terms. But as we've seen in history, the strategy only works up to a point. If evidence begins to pile up, the House of Cards can come crashing down, leaving reputations in tatters.

One could argue that President Clinton got a little grace because it wasn't during a time of social media. There likely would have been a lot more. Accusations, a lot more evidence, perhaps a lot more evidence. Perhaps there would have been a lot more memes. There would have been a lot more things where people would have felt more comfortable accusing the president of doing something wrong and missing back then in the day of television and not social media.

There wasn't any support for Monica Lewinsky. If that happened nowadays, likely there would be a huge growth of mobilization for Monica Lewinsky. Not just women, but women who were interns, women who've been sexually harassed, women in Washington, D. C. Social media allows that to happen and, if you think about it, what happened on social media that involves all of that?

A little something called Me Too. The comeuppance is there. Clinton's actions led to charges of perjury and to his impeachment in 1998 by the U. S. House of Representatives. He was acquitted on all impeachment charges of perjury and obstruction of justice. And if you remember, there was a 21 day U.

S. Senate trial where he was acquitted on all impeachment charges of perjury and obstruction of justice. But he was held in contempt of court in civil court for giving misleading testimony in the Paula Jones case regarding Monica Lewinsky. And he was also fined 90, 000. And his license to practice in Arkansas was suspended for five years, . He was disbarred from presenting cases in front of the U. S. Supreme Court. For Cuomo, he resigned. And he resigned big. Nowadays, Nobody really even knows what he's doing. But what does it mean for Adams? But based on the scrutiny level politicians these days mixed with the outcome of past attempts, it is not looking good for Adams at all. Because legally, There was also some strategy at play, and that involves the timing.

Now, if you follow me on social media, you know that I love a good crisis story that involves timing. I tend to talk about the Friday news dump a lot when news is placed ahead of time. on a Friday in the hopes that the press doesn't pick it up and people aren't paying attention as they head into the weekend.

But on the opposite side of that is the fall, or the fall months, particularly September. It can be a carefully calculated move by both the media outlets.

And legal strategists because during the summer newsrooms operate often on skeleton crews. The public is less engaged in the day to day news. 

 Even though people have constant access to news via their phones, their habits shift. They aren't following the headlines as closely, but September marks  a return to normalcy.

Schools are back in session, work schedules ramp up, the new television season begins. I know it's a lot different. Back in the day, the pilots would come out in September. The TV guide would release a preview of all the new shows, , coming out. Boy, did I love that time.

That was my favorite magazine that I look forward to receiving. Right before September to see what was on ABC, NBC or CBS, but with entertainment, there's a lot of new shows that come out in September. People are also more likely to be indoors, particularly in the northern section of the country, spending more time consuming news and media. So it makes September the perfect time for both media and legal teams to drop significant stories.

or make big moves in their cases. Public attention is back and news outlets know they can capture a larger audience. But the story doesn't end in September. It carries into October for a reason. Once the initial scandal breaks, investigations gain momentum and media coverage intensifies for politicians like Eric Adams.

Whose investigation was first publicly announced, , last November when we got rumblings that something was going to happen. October represents a critical period where new information and legal developments, additional evidence is going to come to light. The charges are going to be heard. This keeps the story alive and in the public eye.

It just so happens the U. S. District Attorney Damian Williams from the Southern District of New York, the person behind the Eric Adams indictment, also is working on another case. teeny tiny case that of the indictment of Sean Diddy Combs. He's a busy guy. That's a busy office. But note the timing of both indictments.

So from a legal perspective, fall is very strategic. Lawyers and investigators know that making legal moves is going to ensure maximum attention. Courts are back in session after that summer slowdown and key legal steps are often taken to escalate cases, ensuring that they stay in the headlines.

This is why media and legal professionals alike view the fall season as prime time for pushing stories and legal action forward. That's why we have prime time television. 

 Scandals tend to break in September when people start paying attention, and then they escalate in October because that's when the stakes get higher. New information emerges, legal maneuvers are made, and the media coverage ramps up to keep the public engaged. Politicians and celebrities know that.

During these months, they are more likely to be in the spotlight, and how they handle the situation can make or break their careers. Eric Adams, like many before him, finds himself under intense scrutiny as the story continues to develop. If you found this episode insightful, don't forget to subscribe, leave a review, and share it with anyone who's as obsessed with PR strategies and crisis management in crisis  communication as we all are.

So you can follow me on TikTok where I post daily updates. You can follow me on TikTok where I post updates on these latest PR moves and celebrity stunts. I also encourage you to follow me on Forbes. com. I typically write two articles every month about the recent scandals that you see happening in your headlines.

Bye! Just head on over to Forbes. com, type in my name, and when you read an article, there's a follow button at top. Every time I send out a new article, you will receive a link to it. Thanks for listening, everyone. Come back next week for the next big story. Bye for now.

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