Are Cuomo Trips A Sign He's Plotting Run For Higher Office?
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) -- New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has been stamping his passport in recent weeks -- first a trip to Israel, and now Afghanistan.
But is the international travel a résumé builder for higher office?
When asked if the two recent overseas trips hint at any future political ambitions, the governor was quick to shoot down the speculation, WCBS 880's Jim Smith reported.
"No, I am doing my job as governor of New York," Cuomo said. "That's exactly what this is about."
Cuomo, who is currently seeking re-election, has rarely left the state the past four years, saying he has stuck close because he was "on duty" working for New York voters.
But he said the recent trips to Israel and Afghanistan will "help me do my job better and help prepare the state better."
Cuomo is currently in Afghanistan, traveling with Department of Defense officials and Govs. Brian Sandoval of Nevada, Bill Haslam of Tennessee and Jay Nixon of Missouri. He said he'll be home Tuesday.
In a conference call with reporters Sunday, Cuomo said much progress has been made in Afghanistan, but the governor said Islamic State extremists are now spreading a new "virulent strain of terrorist activity and culture." He said his goal is for New York to have "the most sophisticated homeland security system ever designed," but terrorist cells also have to be controlled at their source.
About 270 members of the New York National Guard and about 900 members of Fort Drum's 10th Mountain Division are stationed in Afghanistan.
In August, Cuomo was part of a New York delegation who visited Israel on a "unity mission."
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