The President: Cuomo ‘should resign’
President Joe Biden said Tuesday that he believes New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo should resign after a report by the New York attorney general’s office found that Cuomo sexually harassed multiple women.
“I think he should resign. I understand that the state legislature may decide to impeach.”
‘No elected official is above the law’
Following their call for Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s resignation in March, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) released the following joint statement Tuesday:
“As we have said before, the reported actions of the Governor were profoundly disturbing, inappropriate and completely unacceptable. Today’s report from the New York State Attorney General substantiated and corroborated the allegations of the brave women who came forward to share their stories - and we commend the women for doing so.
“The New York State Attorney General has conducted an independent, thorough and professional investigation that found the Governor violated state and federal law, had a pattern of sexually harassing current and former employees, retaliated against at least one of the accusers and created a hostile work environment.
“No elected official is above the law. The people of New York deserve better leadership in the governor’s office. We continue to believe that the Governor should resign.”
‘These courageous women ... we owe them all a debt of gratitude’
State Sen. James Skoufis, D-39, issued the following statement on the AG’s report on sexual harassment by Governor Cuomo:
“Today’s announcement by the Attorney General’s office confirms what I and many of my colleagues have known for months: that Governor Cuomo’s actions illustrate a sustained pattern of sexual abuse, harassment and retaliation against several young, subordinate women.
“Five months ago to the day, I was one of the first Democratic legislators to call for the Governor’s resignation. I’d seen enough. And for his part, the Governor pleaded for us all to ‘wait for the facts’ and allow for due process. He pleaded with New Yorkers to allow for the Attorney General’s work to conclude before forming an opinion. To respect the facts.
“Well, many New Yorkers waited. Due process is now over. This report is damning.
“The independent team hired by the Attorney General has reviewed over 74,000 documents, texts, photos, and pieces of evidence, and interviewed 179 individuals throughout the course of their investigation. The Governor was afforded far more due process than other elected officials facing sexual harassment allegations previously received. And the Governor’s gobsmacking attempt to deflect, explain away and position himself as the victim of misinformation is beyond unacceptable. For the good of the state, Governor Cuomo must resign now. If he still refuses to do so, the Legislature, initiated by the Assembly, ought to begin the process to remove him.
“I thank the Attorney General and her team for their diligent, independent, and evidence-driven efforts to honor these courageous women, uncover the truth and hold perpetrators of sexual harassment to account. We owe them all a debt of gratitude.”