Cuomo’s impeachment looms after NY Assembly leader says governor can’t remain in office
also called on Cuomo to resign after the report’s release earlier in the day by state Attorney General Letitia James.
Biden didn’t weigh on on whether Cuomo should be impeached, saying only, “Let’s take one thing at a time here. I think he should resign.”
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Fighting for political survival
Cuomo has been able to keep at bay Assembly members’ calls for his resignation after the allegations against him first surfaced earlier this year and James launched her probe in March.
And Heastie asked the Assembly Judiciary Committee to conduct its own investigation into Cuomo, which is still ongoing.
But Assembly Democrats on Tuesday sounded poised to move ahead with the articles of impeachment as soon as possible if Cuomo doesn’t resign, lawmakers said.
“Now that the investigation is complete and the allegations have been substantiated, it should be clear to everyone that he can no longer serve as Governor,” Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, D-Yonkers, said in a statement.
Assemblyman Ken Zebrowski, a Rockland County Democrat who sits on the Judiciary Committee, said the chamber’s ongoing investigation will both inform the decision on whether to impeach and provide the basis for a potential case against the governor.
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What happens next with Cuomo?
Earlier Tuesday, Cuomo again contended he never touched anyone inappropriately and stressed that he often kisses and hugs people he meets and works with, showing a slideshow of him doing so with elected leaders and people at events for years.
“I do kiss people on the forehead. I do kiss people on the cheek. I do kiss people on the hand. I do embrace people,” Cuomo, 63, said. “On occasion, I do slip and say sweetheart or darling or honey.”
James’ investigation interviewed 11 former female workers who claimed Cuomo made inappropriate comments or touched them inappropriately.
James, however, said her investigation was civil in nature and it would be up to prosecutors to pursue anything criminally.
“The matter is civil in nature and doesn’t have any criminal consequences,” she said.
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Cuomo offers a defense
Cuomo, in particular, singled out the allegations by former aide Charlotte Bennett, who accused him on national TV and in media reports of asking inappropriate questions of her last year.
But Cuomo said she misunderstood his intentions, saying he was trying to help Bennett as a victim of sexual abuse and explaining he had a close family member who was also an abuse victim.
“They read into comments that I made and draw inferences that I never meant,” Cuomo said. “Simply put, they heard things that I just didn’t say.”
Still, Cuomo did apologize to Bennett and said his office will bring on a harassment-training expert to help implement changes in state policy.
“I accept responsibility and we are making changes,” Cuomo said. “We have to get the job done. I promised you that I would, and I will.”
Bennett’s attorney Debra Katz disagreed with Cuomo’s assertion.
“The findings released today demonstrate what Charlotte Bennett stated publicly, at great personal cost, more than six months ago.” Katz said in a statement.
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Joseph Spector is the Government and Politics Editor for the USA TODAY Network’s Atlantic Group, overseeing coverage in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland and Delaware. He can be reached at JSPECTOR@Gannett.com or followed on Twitter: @GannettAlbany