Pressure grows on Cuomo to resign »
ALBANY, N.Y. » New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s grip on power appeared increasingly threatened Thursday as a majority of state legislators called for his resignation, police in the state capital said they stood ready to investigate a groping allegation, and the leader of the state Assembly authorized the first step toward possible impeachment.
The firestorm around the Democratic governor grew a day after the Times Union of Albany reported an unidentified aide had claimed Cuomo reached under her shirt and fondled her at his official residence late last year. Cuomo said he never touched anyone inappropriately.
A lawyer for the governor said Thursday that she reported the allegation to Albany police after the woman involved declined to do so.
“In this case the person is represented by counsel and when counsel confirmed the client did not want to make a report, the state notified the police department and gave them the attorney’s information,” said Beth Garvey, the governor’s acting counsel.
She said the state was obligated to do so under state law.
An Albany Police Department spokesperson, Steve Smith, didn’t immediately return a message from The Associated Press, but he told The New York Times police had reached out to a representative for the woman.
The possible involvement of police comes as more lawmakers called on Cuomo to resign over alleged misconduct with women and allegations that his administration concealed how many New York nursing home residents died of COVID-19.
At least 121 members of the state Assembly and Senate have said publicly they believe Cuomo should quit office now, according to a tally by The Associated Press. The count includes 65 Democrats and 56 Republicans.
The top Democrat in the state Assembly, Speaker Carl Heastie, on Thursday said he had authorized the body’s Judiciary Committee to “begin an impeachment investigation” of the governor.
The committee’s inquiry could be wide-ranging: from alleged sexual misconduct to COVID outbreaks at nursing homes, according to committee member Tom Abinanti. It would come on top of a separate inquiry of sexual harassment allegations being conducted by state Attorney General Letitia James.
“The Legislature needs to determine for itself what the facts are,” Abinanti said. “For the people who want immediate impeachment, I think we say please be patient. The process is slow. This could be the next step.”
In New York, the Assembly is the legislative house with the power to impeach Cuomo, who has faced multiple allegations that he made the workplace an uncomfortable place for young women with sexually suggestive remarks and behavior, including unwanted touching and a kiss. One aide claimed the governor’s aides publicly smeared her after she accused him of sexual harassment.
Cuomo’s support in the state Senate, which has the power to remove him after impeachment, was especially thin. Roughly twothirds of its members have called for the Democrat’s resignation, including Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins.
A group of 59 Democrats, including 19 senators and 40 Assembly members, said in a letter Thursday that it was time for Cuomo to go.
“In light of the Governor’s admission of inappropriate behavior and the findings of altered data on nursing home COVID-19 deaths he has lost the confidence of the public and the state legislature, rendering him ineffective in this time of most urgent need,” the letter said. “It is time for Governor Cuomo to resign.”
Cuomo has repeatedly said he won’t resign and urged the public to await the outcome of the attorney general’s investigation.
Asked for comment Thursday, Cuomo’s office referred reporters to previous statements in which the governor denied inappropriately touching anyone, but apologized for some comments he made to female staffers. He has said he was engaging in what he thought was playful banter and didn’t realize it was making people uncomfortable.
In the newest allegation against Cuomo, the Times Union reported the governor had summoned a female aide to his Albany mansion, saying he needed help with his cellphone. After she arrived, Cuomo closed the door, reached under her shirt and fondled her, the newspaper reported.
The newspaper said its reporting was based on an unidentified source with knowledge of the woman’s accusation, who said she first told the story to someone on Cuomo’s staff in recent days. The newspaper hadn’t spoken to the woman and didn’t identify her.