Son Of Mario

By PAUL GRAY/

Why are G.O.P. hatchetmen taking swipes at Andrew Cuomo, son of the New York Governor? Recently on NBC's Today show, Roger Ailes, the Republican * mudmeister, casually claimed that young Cuomo might soon have a Neil Bush sort of problem with S&L investigators. That prompted a phone call from Andrew and a private apology for what Ailes conceded was a cheap shot. Then on ABC's Nightline last week, Republican strategist Ed Rollins said, "Mario Cuomo's son was involved" in the spreading S&L disaster. In fact, there is little basis, other than pure politics, for this accusation. Andrew's only connection is that he served as an attorney for a group of shareholders trying to take over a struggling Florida S&L and in 1987 was named in a complaint filed by a rival group. The matter was settled out of court, with no hint of scandal. The Cuomo camp thinks the Republican attacks are in part an election-year attempt to goad the thin-skinned Governor into losing his temper. Says one of the Governor's advisers: "Who's Ed Rollins? Operatives are very good at slinging mud, and you can't win if you engage them."

With reporting by DAVID ELLIS