Yesterday, when speaking to the media about appointing Joe Lhota as CEO of the MTA, Governor Cuomo — again — denied that he runs the MTA.

“Who’s in charge?” Cuomo asked reporters. “Who knows.”

Cuomo also pointed the finger at Mayor de Blasio, insisting — again — that the city doesn’t pay enough to keep trains and buses running.

The governor of New York pretending that he does not control the MTA is troubling and bizarre. The transit system is, of course, the lifeblood of the city, and therefore state, economy. Subway service is so terrible right now that straphangers are literally risking their lives just to get to work.

And Cuomo, the one person who has the power to fix things, is acting out a charade that’s not fooling anyone.

The press corps was having none of it.

“Who’s in charge? Who knows!” –@NYGovCuomo on the MTA, which he is in charge of

— Erin Durkin (@erinmdurkin) June 22, 2017

“Somebody has to be in charge” of the MTA, says Gov. Cuomo, who is, in fact, in charge.

— Kate Hinds (@katehinds) June 22, 2017

Andrew Cuomo is in charge of the MTA. Andrew Cuomo knows that. https://t.co/39jaJyHXhn

— erica orden (@eorden) June 22, 2017

“You know who runs the MTA?…The governor has the majority of members,” Cuomo said in December, before coming up with this total nonsense

— Anna Sanders (@AnnaESanders) June 22, 2017

talking about # of MTA board votes is wholly besides point and belies the dictionary definition of “control.” see: https://t.co/iOX4l7ZKOf pic.twitter.com/5cD2wkx8UY

— Dan Rivoli (@danrivoli) June 22, 2017

Cuomo can keep denying that the MTA is his responsibility, but that won’t make it so, and New Yorkers will continue to suffer the consequences.