Reaction from NY lawmakers: Cuomo must resign or be impeached

Gov. Andrew Cuomo

Gov. Andrew Cuomo speaks during a news conference, Monday, April 26, 2021 at the New York State Fair Grounds in Geddes, N.Y. Cuomo denied he had done anything inappropriate with women who accused him of sexual harassment. N. Scott Trimble | strimble@syracuse.com AP

New York lawmakers from both parties Tuesday called for Gov. Andrew Cuomo to resign from office after an independent investigation found he sexually harassed multiple women in the workplace, violating state and federal law.

The reaction was swift as top Democrats condemned Cuomo’s behavior and demanded that he resign immediately.

New York’s two Democratic U.S. senators, Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, said Cuomo should step down. And at least two Republican members of Congress from New York called for the governor to be arrested and prosecuted.

State Sen. Andrea Stewart-Cousins, the Senate majority leader, quickly became the top-ranking Democrat in the state Legislature to call for Cuomo to resign.

“As I said when these disturbing allegations first came to light, the governor must resign for the good of the state,” Stewart-Cousins 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.”

State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli followed, becoming the first statewide Democratic officeholder to demand Cuomo’s resignation.

“This is a sad day for New York,” DiNapoli said. “The Attorney General’s report documents unacceptable workplace behavior in the executive chamber at the highest level of state leadership. The women who came forward are courageous, and they have been heard. As I stated months ago, the governor should step down.”

State Sen. John Mannion, a Democrat from Geddes, called for Cuomo to resign, only minutes after Attorney General Letitia James finished detailing the results of an an investigation that included interviews with 179 people.

“The Attorney General’s independent investigation has outlined in disturbing detail that Governor Andrew Cuomo engaged in a pattern of unlawful sexual harassment and his office has a culture of hostility and fear,” Mannion said.

“I believe the women who bravely came forward to tell their stories under incredibly difficult circumstances,” Mannion said. “I am reiterating my position that Governor Cuomo must resign immediately for the good of the state of New York.”

State Sen. Rachel May, D-Syracuse, the other Democratic senator representing Central New York, came to the same conclusion.

“The Attorney General’s report is thorough and damning,” May said in a statement. “I called for the governor to resign months ago. I continue to believe that the best thing he could do for New Yorkers is step away from his office immediately. If he refuses to do so, the Assembly must finish its work as quickly as possible so that the legislature can take the necessary steps.”

State Assemblyman Will Barclay, R-Pulaski, the Assembly minority leader, agreed that Cuomo must be impeached if he doesn’t resign.

“As Attorney General Letitia James’ office’s investigation has confirmed, Andrew Cuomo’s behavior is abhorrent and absolutely unacceptable,” Barclay said. “It is in the best interest of the people of New York state for Gov. Cuomo to immediately resign and if he refuses to do so, the Legislature should take the necessary and immediate steps to have him impeached and forcibly removed from office.”

Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, D-N.Y., said “the details provided by the victims are gut-wrenching.”

Heastie said the report from James will be referred to the Assembly Judiciary Committee, but Heastie did not elaborate on a timetable or the next steps he will recommend.

Assemblyman Bill Magnarelli, D-Syracuse, struck a similar tone. He described the investigation’s findings as “disturbing and troubling” but called for Cuomo to receive due process.

“I know that the report has gone to our Assembly Judiciary Committee and all of my Assembly colleagues,” Magnarelli said. “I believe it is appropriate that we now read the report and talk to counsel as to proceeding further, with due process, in the Assembly.”

In Washington, Schumer and Gillibrand issued a joint statement encouraging Cuomo to resign. The senators first called for Cuomo to resign in March.

“As we have said before, the reported actions of the governor were profoundly disturbing, inappropriate and completely unacceptable,” the senators said today. “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.”

U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik, the third-ranking House Republican and a longtime Cuomo foe, said she wants more than a resignation from the governor.

“Governor Cuomo must resign and be arrested immediately,” Stefanik tweeted.

Stefanik also suggested that President Joe Biden should help force Cuomo out of office. Biden said in March that Cuomo should resign if the state attorney general’s investigation confirmed allegations of sexual harassment against the governor.

U.S. Rep. Claudia Tenney, R-New Hartford, said Cuomo should be prosecuted, based on the state and federal laws that investigators found he violated.

“Governor Andrew Cuomo sexually harassed young women and then created a culture of fear and intimidation to cover it up,” Tenney said. “He abused his position, broke the law, and betrayed the trust of New Yorkers. He must resign and be prosecuted immediately.”

Tenney said New Yorkers also “deserve to know who in his inner circle of thugs knew about his behavior, aided his predatory actions, and helped him cover it up. Cuomo’s co-conspirators are just as complicit. They must also be held accountable.”

U.S. Rep. John Katko, R-Camillus, said Cuomo should resign, but he did not suggest filing charges against the governor.

Katko said the independent report released today confirms that Cuomo “abused his office by engaging in a pattern of sexual harassment and retaliation. The governor created a hostile and intolerable work environment and broke federal law, as well as the state law he enacted.”

Katko added, “Officials at all levels of government have a duty to prevent this type of horrific conduct. Instead, Governor Cuomo enabled it. For his inexcusable and egregious conduct, Governor Cuomo must resign.”

Other Republican lawmakers said the state Legislature should be called back for a special session to move forward with impeachment proceedings if the governor doesn’t resign.

“It was clear months ago that Andrew Cuomo was no longer fit to lead our state,” said Assemblyman Mike Lawler, R-Pearl River. “Today, it became emphatically clear that he must not be allowed to lead our state another day, after breaking multiple federal and state laws. If Gov. Cuomo won’t step down today, then he must be impeached immediately.”

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