Newsman: President Joe Biden said in an interview aired Tuesday that Democratic New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo should resign if an investigation confirms the allegations of sexual harassment against him. Biden had said Sunday that he wants to see what comes of the investigation into the allegations when asked if the Democratic governor should resign. In an interview with George Stephanopoulos also talked on the influx of unaccompanied children on the border. Biden encouraged migrants not to come to the US as a crisis unfolds at the country’s southwestern border — with thousands of unaccompanied children now in federal custody — and he expressed openness to changing the Senate’s filibuster rule for the first time.
Talking on sexual harassment allegation against New York Governor Andrew Cuomo George Stephanopoulos asked the President ‘ if Cuomo should step down if the investigation confirms the allegations, Biden replied, “Yes.”
“I think he’ll probably end up being prosecuted, too,” Biden said.
The President added that “a woman should be presumed telling the truth and should not be scapegoated and become victimized by her coming forward.”
“Takes a lot of courage to come forward,” he said. “So, the presumption is they should be taken seriously. And it should be investigated. And that’s what’s underway now.”
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“I think the investigation is underway and we should see what it brings us,” the President told reporters. White House chief of staff Ron Klain echoed Biden’s comments later Sunday evening, telling MSNBC that the investigation “ought to run its course.”
The New York governor, facing multiple allegations of sexual harassment and unwanted advances, has apologized for “making anyone feel uncomfortable” but has maintained that he “never touched anyone inappropriately.”
The investigation into the sexual harassment allegations is being led by attorneys Joon Kim, a former prosecutor with the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, and Anne Clark, an employment discrimination attorney.
New York governor is also the subject of an impeachment investigation after the speaker of the New York State Assembly authorized the chamber’s judiciary committee to begin the probe this month.
Democratic leaders in the state Legislature are content to wait for a pair of investigations, one tasked by state Attorney General Letitia James and the other about to be empaneled by Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, to run their course before formally beginning the impeachment process.
