What we know, what we don’t, what’s next
NEW YORK — After months of holding on to power amid sexual harassment allegations, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo abruptly resigned Tuesday.
We take you through what happened and what’s next:
Cuomo was under investigation for several things, but the prevailing issue leading to his resignation concerned sexual harassment allegations. An investigative report released last week said he sexually harassed 11 women, many of whom had worked for him or the state. Other issues in play in a state Assembly impeachment probe: how his administration handled data on COVID-19-related deaths in nursing homes, his $5 million pandemic leadership book deal and whether friends and relatives were given special access to COVID-19 tests early in the pandemic.
Cuomo has denied the most serious allegations against him and acknowledged Tuesday that his “instinct is to fight.” But he said the impeachment process would take months and consume resources that should go toward “managing COVID, guarding against the delta variant, reopening upstate, fighting gun violence and saving New York City.”
Still Cuomo. His resignation won’t take effect for two weeks. But Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul is on deck to take over afterward.
Cuomo said he wanted to ensure a “seamless” transition to the new administration. He declared Hochul could be caught up to speed in a timely fashion.
The U.S. Department of Justice has been investigating how the state handled data related to nursing home deaths during the coronavirus pandemic. The state’s official tally left out
many people who had died at hospitals. An aide said Cuomo’s administration worried the true numbers would be “used against us” by President Donald Trump’s administration.
Prosecutors in Albany, Westchester and on Long Island have already said their investigations into whether Cuomo committed any crimes will continue. Cuomo might be hoping that prosecutors or the women who complained about his behavior might lose interest in pursuing a case now that he’s out of office.
The women who have accused Cuomo could still file lawsuits, and at least one — Lindsey Boylan — has said she will.
It’s currently unclear whether the state Assembly can — or will — continue the probe and draw up articles of impeachment once he’s out of office. And lawmakers already said the process would take weeks, making it unlikely it would wrap up in Cuomo’s last two weeks in office.
He “deeply, deeply” apologized to the “11 women who I truly offended.” But he continued to deny the most serious allegations outlined in the report and again blamed the allegations as misunderstandings attributed to “generational and cultural differences.” Last week, he personally said sorry to two accusers — ex-aide Charlotte Bennett and a wedding guest he was photographed kissing, Anna Ruch. On Tuesday, he added the unnamed New York State Police trooper who said he inappropriately touched her to the list.
Sure. There’s nothing currently precluding him from throwing his hat in the ring for 2022. And although his donations dipped in the wake of the initial allegations, he had amassed an $18 million war chest as of mid-July. If he were to be impeached somehow, however, he could be barred from seeking statewide office again.
Indeed. Cuomo would have been up for a fourth term next year. No highprofile Democrats have declared their candidacy yet, but U.S. Rep. Lee Zeldin and Andrew Giuliani — yes, son of Rudy and another New York political scion named “Andrew” — are among the Republican contenders.
It’s unclear how engaged he’ll be in public policy in his final days, but the state is dealing with a soaring number of COVID-19 cases and has been struggling to get aid to tenants who fell behind on rent because of the pandemic.
We’re not expecting an appearance — let alone, a comment — from Chris Cuomo on his primetime CNN show, as he’s currently on vacation. The younger Cuomo brother’s role advising the governor was detailed in last week’s report, and he didn’t comment on that, either. The Cuomos were known for their on-air fraternal banter during the early days of the pandemic, but CNN eventually put the kibosh on the anchor covering his own brother.
He only moved to the governor’s mansion in Albany in 2019. He previously lived with his ex-girlfriend, TV chef Sandra Lee, in the New York City suburbs. Lee owned that house. It remains to be seen where the now-single Cuomo — and his dog, Captain — will crash.