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New York Senator Chuck Schumer became the highest-ranking Democrat to call for Governor Andrew Cuomo’s resignation Friday night over multiple allegations of sexual harassment.
In a joint statement with Kirsten Gillibrand, the junior state senator, they said: “Due to multiple credible allegations of sexual harassment and misconduct, it is clear that Governor Cuomo has lost the trust of his governing partners and the people of New York. York. Governor Cuomo should resign. “
The statement by Schumer, the Senate Majority Leader, and Gillibrand, who played a pivotal role in the removal of former Senator Al Franken on allegations of sexual harassment, capped an extraordinary day of political battle with Cuomo’s future at stake.
Hours earlier, the governor vigorously denied claims that he sexually harassed women and said he would not resign. That came after a majority of the state’s Democratic Congressional delegation, including Jerrold Nadler and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, called for him to resign.
“I did not do what was alleged. Period, ”Cuomo said, referring to half a dozen complaints of sexual harassment and inappropriate behavior made in recent weeks by former female assistants.
The embattled governor questioned the motives of his fellow Democrats who have joined calls for his resignation before formal investigations are completed, saying their behavior was “reckless and dangerous.”
At one point he blamed “canceling culture” for his situation and said he was not part of the “political club”, despite being the son of a New York governor for three terms and having spent much of his life in political positions. prominent.
He did not immediately respond to Schumer and Gillibrand’s statement.
“It feels like the dam is slowly breaking down,” a New York political adviser said Friday afternoon. Another predicted that New Yorkers would turn on the governor for becoming a distraction at a vital time. “This is not functional. We are in a pandemic, “said the person.
Cuomo, a three-term Democratic governor, became a national political star for his commanding performance in the early days of the coronavirus pandemic.
But his prestige has quickly waned amid questions about his handling of the state’s nursing homes during the pandemic. The New York attorney general found in January that his administration had underestimated Covid-19 deaths for nursing home residents by as much as 50 percent.
This came after a controversial order from the governor in April last year that required nursing homes to accept Covid-19 patients discharged from hospitals. The policy was intended to free up space in hospitals amid concerns that they would soon be overwhelmed by the pandemic, but critics have since blamed critics for spreading lethal infections among vulnerable nursing home residents.
The pressure on him has increased further due to the pace of accusations in recent weeks of sexual harassment and inappropriate behavior towards female staff. Cuomo apologized for “any pain I caused him,” but insisted that he never touched anyone properly.
The crisis entered a new phase on Thursday night when the president of the state assembly, Carl Heastie, said he would authorize the judicial committee to launch an investigation of the governor, a move that could lead to an impeachment process.
Opposition to Cuomo appeared to solidify after a report this week in the Albany Times Union that alleged the governor summoned a young female employee to his mansion late last year and touched her under her blouse. The matter has been referred to the Albany Police.
Bill de Blasio, the mayor of New York City and a longtime rival of Cuomo, called Cuomo’s behavior “disgusting” on Thursday, when he joined dozens of Democrats demanding his impeachment.
Ocasio-Cortez and Jamaal Bowman, another representative from New York, said it was “alarming” that the latest incident of alleged sexual assault against the governor took place just a few months ago, and they expressed concern for the safety of their staff.
Cuomo has repeatedly urged the public to withhold the trial until an investigation of his conduct, overseen by the New York attorney general, is completed. There is no timetable for that review.
On Friday, he addressed the Times Union report, saying:
“I want to make it clear that what is alleged simply did not happen. The last accusation is not true. And I have not had an inappropriate sexual relationship. Period.”
The battle to eliminate Cuomo, who has dominated state politics for a decade, is raging as New York enters a critical juncture in its Covid-19 vaccination campaign.
The state is also in the midst of tense budget negotiations, with many progressive Democrats determined to push for higher taxes for the wealthy, as well as other priorities the centrist governor has thwarted in the past.
In his statement, Nadler, one of the leaders of the impeachment of former President Donald Trump, acknowledged that the governor’s investigations were not complete, but argued that it was time to act.
“There is a difference between formal investigations that can lead to criminal charges and a question of trust in our political leadership,” he said. “The issue before us is directly impeachment. Governor Cuomo has lost the trust of the people of New York. Governor Cuomo must resign. “
