Newsman: Top democrats are now calling on New York Governor Andrew Cuomo’s resignation from office in the wake of sexual harassment allegations and his handling of Covid-19 deaths at state nursing homes. Friday afternoon, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer joined a majority of New York congressional Democrats, including Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, in calling for Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo to resign. Addressing the allegations Friday, Cuomo said in a news conference to “let the review proceed. I’m not going to resign.” Last week, Cuomo offered an apology to the women and said he never knew he “was making anyone feel uncomfortable” and denied touching anyone inappropriately.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Friday that the White House had no updates when asked if Biden believes Cuomo should resign.
“The President believes that every woman who’s come forward … deserves to have her voice heard, should be treated with respect and should be able to tell her story,” Psaki said, adding that Biden believes the independent investigation should move forward.
“Confronting and overcoming the Covid crisis requires sure and steady leadership. We commend the brave actions of the individuals who have come forward with serious allegations of abuse and misconduct,” Schumer and Gillibrand said in a joint statement. “Due to the multiple, credible sexual harassment and misconduct allegations, it is clear that Governor Cuomo has lost the confidence of his governing partners and the people of New York. Governor Cuomo should resign.”
House Judiciary Committee Chair Jerry Nadler said in a statement that Cuomo has “lost the confidence of the people of New York” and House Oversight Committee Chair Carolyn Maloney said Cuomo’s resignation would be in the “best interest of all New Yorkers.” But not all House Democrats have called for Cuomo to step down. Several of the Democrats on Friday said James’s investigation into Cuomo’s behavior should continue.
On Friday, 16 members of New York’s 19-person Democratic House delegation said Cuomo must resign, arguing that the allegations have impeded his ability to effectively govern and serve the people of New York.
The announcements add additional pressure not only on Cuomo but on the Biden White House, which has so far declined to call for the three-term Democratic heavyweight to step down, instead pointing to an ongoing investigation by the state’s attorney general into the harassment allegations.
The congressional group demanding he step down includes members from across the party’s ideological lines and included both senior figures connected to the state political establishment and younger progressive lawmakers. Their decision follows another announcement, less than 24 hours earlier, by Democrats in the state Assembly to launch an impeachment investigation that will be carried out concurrently with the state attorney general’s independent probe.
Governor Cuomo has vigorously resisted calls for his resignation and brushed them off as political maneuvers by his rivals.
On Thursday, more than 50 Democrats of the New York state Senate and Assembly said in a letter that “it’s time for Governor Cuomo to resign,” arguing that he is “ineffective in this time of most urgent need.” The top Democrat in the state Senate, Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, on Sunday had said “for the good of the state Governor Cuomo must resign.” State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli joined the calls Friday evening.
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Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and freshman Rep. Jamaal Bowman said they agreed with others “who have concluded that Governor Cuomo can no longer effectively lead in the face of so many challenges.”
“These allegations have all been consistent and highly-detailed, and there are also credible media reports substantiating their accounts,” Ocasio-Cortez and Bowman said in a joint statement, adding that they “believe these women” who have come forward with sexual harassment allegations against Cuomo.
In separate statements Friday, fellow Democratic Reps. Grace Meng, Nydia Velázquez, Yvette Clarke, Adriano Espaillat, Mondaire Jones, Antonio Delgado, Sean Patrick Maloney, Brian Higgins, Paul Tonko, Ritchie Torres and Joe Morelle also urged Cuomo to step down as governor.
Maloney, who also chairs the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, argued that New Yorkers need a governor “laser-focused” on getting them through the Covid-19 pandemic.
Democratic Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, who also serves as Democratic caucus chair, said on Twitter the allegations are “very serious and deeply disturbing” but called for the investigation to continue.
Cuomo’s administration underreported the number of Covid deaths among New York’s long-term care patients by approximately 50%, according to a state attorney general report from January, and then delayed sharing that potentially damaging information with state lawmakers.
The administration left out Covid-19 deaths of residents who had been transferred out of the facility or to hospitals, a statement from Attorney General Letitia James’ office said. While the report found that the overall number of deaths did not change, it led to a misrepresentation of the Covid-19 death toll in New York’s long-term care facilities.
Cuomo and his administration defended their decision, arguing that with both the Justice Department and New York state lawmakers asking questions, the federal inquiry became their priority. The governor denied any suggestion of wrongdoing.
Amid the mounting criticism, Cuomo also faces accusations from multiple women of sexual harassment or inappropriate behavior. The scandal, which has consumed New York politics over the past two weeks, began on February 24, when former aide Lindsey Boylan alleged in a Medium post that Cuomo kissed her on the lips against her will in 2018 after a brief, one-on-one meeting in his New York City office.
