Senators Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand Call for Gov. Andrew Cuomo to ResignNew York governor has said he won’t resign, vowing to continue to lead the state
ALBANY, N.Y.—Sens. Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand joined 16 Democratic members of the state’s House delegation in calling for Gov. Andrew Cuomo to step down amid mounting accusations of sexual harassment and investigations into his handling of Covid-19 deaths in nursing homes.
Mr. Cuomo, a Democrat, said earlier Friday that he wouldn’t resign and that it was reckless to cast judgment on him before investigations had been completed.
The week marked a stunningly rapid turn for Mr. Cuomo, who just months ago was hailed for leading one of the hardest-hit states through the pandemic. It ended with Mr. Cuomo abandoned by just about every prominent member of his own party in a Democratic state.
More than 130 state lawmakers, including state Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, have said Mr. Cuomo should leave office.
Mr. Cuomo said he would try to ignore his critics and focus on his governmental work, which includes completing a $193 billion state budget that is due March 31. The third-term Democrat again denied he has inappropriately touched anybody and apologized if any of his remarks made people uncomfortable.
“New Yorkers know me. Wait for the facts,” Mr. Cuomo said Friday. “An opinion without facts is irresponsible. I’m going to focus on my job because we have real challenges.”
Mr. Cuomo’s vow to continue to lead the state capped a week in which a fourth aide accused him of inappropriate behavior, a complaint that his office referred to the Albany Police Department. The state Assembly opened an impeachment investigation into the misconduct allegations as well as his handling of Covid-19 in the state’s nursing homes.
State Attorney General Letitia James is overseeing an investigation of the accusations.
A person familiar with the governor’s thinking this week said Mr. Cuomo, 63 years old, appreciates the gravity of the situation but feels frustrated that he is unable to publicly counter his accusers and critics.
Hank Sheinkopf, a Democratic political consultant who has also worked with Mr. Cuomo, said he didn’t expect him to resign.
“If he were to say he weren’t running for a fourth term, it will alleviate some pressure,” said Mr. Sheinkopf, who hasn’t spoken with Mr. Cuomo recently. “But he probably won’t do that: When in his life has he given control away?”
Mr. Cuomo’s stance in countering the allegations has moved between denials to apologies for actions that made people uncomfortable.
The week left the governor politically isolated. Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, a Democrat from the Bronx, said Thursday that the chamber’s judiciary committee would conduct its own review of the allegations against Mr. Cuomo.
As of Friday, 35 Republican and eight Democratic members of the 150-seat Assembly have said they support impeaching the governor, according to a whip count maintained by Assemblyman Kieran Lalor, a Republican from Dutchess County who backs the effort.
An additional 37 members have called for the governor’s resignation, and still more say he should step aside and let Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, take charge, according to Mr. Lalor’s tally and public statements.
Lindsey Boylan, a former economic adviser to the governor, was the first former aide to accuse him of sexual harassment. After she made the claim on Twitter in December, at least six former employees said they got calls from the governor’s office to find out if they had heard from her or to try to discredit her. Some of the recipients of the calls said the outreach felt like acts of intimidation.
The latest accuser complained that Mr. Cuomo touched her inappropriately during an encounter last year at the Executive Mansion. State officials referred the woman’s allegation to the Albany Police Department on Wednesday, though a police spokesman said she hasn’t filed a formal complaint. On Friday, Mr. Cuomo said he “did not do what has been alleged, period.”
Another former aide, Ana Liss, 35 years old, said Mr. Cuomo asked if she had a boyfriend and once kissed her hand when she rose from her desk in 2014. The governor said he sometimes engages in workplace banter with his aides, and said he is sorry if his behavior made anyone uncomfortable.
Several lawmakers have said the allegations as well as criticism over the state’s reluctance to release nursing home death data have made it impossible for Mr. Cuomo to continue to serve as governor. Federal prosecutors have requested data about nursing home deaths and are interested in the production of a July Health Department report about how Covid-19 affected those facilities, the Journal has reported.
“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,” Mr. Schumer and Ms. Gillibrand said in a joint statement on Friday.
Mr. Cuomo has a long-time relationship with President Joe Biden, who has not addressed the matter. White House press secretary Jen Psaki on Friday declined to say if Mr. Cuomo should resign.
“The president believes that every woman who has come forward—there have now been six, I believe, who have come forward—deserves to have her voice heard, should be treated with respect and should be able to tell her story,” she said, adding that the president supports the investigation into the governor.
Mr. Cuomo said Friday that many of the resignation calls were politically motivated. New York state Democratic Chairman Jay Jacobs spoke to the governor on Thursday, and said Mr. Cuomo was taken aback by the number of resignation calls.
“He’s viewing these allegations from a different angle, if you will. I don’t think he sees it the same way that others see it. So, that has surprised him,” Mr. Jacobs said.
WSJ
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