Schumer and Gillibrand call for Cuomo to resign

The New York governor says he won’t resign despite mounting accusations of sexual harassment, vowing to continue to lead the state.

Andrew Cuomo says it is reckless to cast judgment on him before an investigation had been completed. Picture: AFP

US senators Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand joined more than a dozen Democrat members of the House of Representatives in calling for New York Governor Andrew Cuomo to step down amid mounting accusations of sexual harassment and investigations into his handling of Covid-19 deaths in nursing homes.

Mr Cuomo, a Democrat, said earlier that he wouldn’t resign and that it was reckless to cast judgment on him before investigations had been completed.

Additionally, more than 130 state legislators, including state Senate majority leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, say Mr Cuomo should leave office.

Mr Cuomo said he would try to ignore his critics and focus on his governmental work, which includes completing a $US193bn state budget that is due March 31. The third-term Democrat again denied he has inappropriately touched anybody and apologised if any of his remarks made people uncomfortable.

“New Yorkers know me. Wait for the facts,” Mr Cuomo said. “An opinion without facts is irresponsible. I’m going to focus on my job because we have real challenges.”

Mr Cuomo’s vow to continue to lead the state capped a week in which a fourth aide accused him of inappropriate behaviour, a complaint that his office referred to the Albany Police Department. The state Assembly opened an impeachment investigation into the misconduct allegations as well as his handling of Covid-19 in the state’s nursing homes.

State Attorney-General Letitia James is overseeing an investigation of the accusations.

A person familiar with the governor’s thinking said Mr Cuomo appreciates the gravity of the situation but feels frustrated that he is unable to publicly counter his accusers and critics.

The governor has spent most of his time this week at his Albany mansion, which is a few blocks from his office in the State Capitol. Last weekend, the governor called members of the state Assembly and Senate urging them not to call for his resignation, according to people familiar with the matter, including two who received the calls.

Hank Sheinkopf, a Democrat political consultant who has also worked with Mr Cuomo, said he didn’t expect him to resign.

“If he were to say he weren’t running for a fourth term, it will alleviate some pressure,” said Mr. Sheinkopf, who hasn’t spoken with Mr. Cuomo recently. “But he probably won’t do that: When in his life has he given control away?”

Mr Cuomo’s stance in countering the allegations has moved between denials to apologies for actions that made people uncomfortable.

The week left the governor politically isolated. As of the weekend, 35 Republican and eight Democratic members of the 150-seat Assembly say they support impeaching the governor, according to a whip count maintained by Assemblyman Kieran Lalor, a Republican from Dutchess County who backs the effort.

An additional 37 members have called for the governor’s resignation, and still more say he should step aside and let Lieuteant Governor Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, take charge, according to Mr Lalor’s tally and public statements.

Lindsey Boylan, a former economic adviser to the governor, was the first former aide to accuse him of sexual harassment. After she made the claim on Twitter in December, at least six former employees said they got calls from the governor’s office to find out if they had heard from her or to try to discredit her. Some of the recipients of the calls said the outreach felt like acts of intimidation.

The latest accuser complained that Mr Cuomo touched her inappropriately during an encounter last year at the Executive Mansion. State officials referred the woman’s allegation to the Albany Police Department last week, though a police spokesman said she has not filed a formal complaint. At the weekend, Mr Cuomo said he “did not do what has been alleged, period.”

Another former aide, Ana Liss, 35, said Mr Cuomo asked if she had a boyfriend and once kissed her hand when she rose from her desk in 2014. The governor said he sometimes engages in workplace banter with his aides, and said he is sorry if his behaviour made anyone uncomfortable.

Several legislators have said the allegations as well as criticism over the state’s reluctance to release nursing home death data have made it impossible for Mr Cuomo to continue to serve as governor. Federal prosecutors have requested data about nursing home deaths and are interested in the production of a July Health Department report about how Covid-19 affected those facilities, the Journal has reported.

“Governor Cuomo can no longer effectively lead in the face of so many challenges,” representatives. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Jamaal Bowman said at the weekend.

At the state level, Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, a Democrat from the Bronx, said last week that the chamber’s judiciary committee would conduct its own review of the allegations against Mr Cuomo.

Mr Cuomo said that many of the resignation calls were politically motivated. New York State Democrat chairman Jay Jacobs spoke to the governor on Friday, and said Mr Cuomo was taken aback by the number of resignation calls.

“He’s viewing these allegations from a different angle, if you will. I don’t think he sees it the same way that others see it. So, that has surprised him,” Mr Jacobs said.

The Wall Street Journal