Governor Andrew Cuomo is attempting to survive the series of scandals around him with a defiant approach not unlike the bare-knuckle governing style that led to his current status in New York politics—without a friend in sight. Facing accusations of sexual harassment or inappropriate behavior made by more than half a dozen women since February 24—all of which Cuomo denies—and an independent investigation into those allegations; a federal investigation into the apparent cover-up of COVID-death statistics in state nursing homes; and an impeachment inquiry by state legislators, New York’s three-term governor is nevertheless refusing to resign, despite a majority of his fellow Democrats demanding just that.
In a news conference on Friday that capped off yet another week of damning and credible allegations, Cuomo claimed lawmakers calling for his removal were doing so “without knowing any facts and substance” and because of “political expediency,” ulterior motives that he seemed to suggest his accusers have, too. “There are often many motivations for making an allegation, and that is why you need to know the facts before you make a decision,” Cuomo said, as he vowed not to bow to “cancel culture” and those “playing politics” by calling for his ouster.
Friday’s remarks came on the same day more than a dozen New York Democrats called on the governor to step down, among them Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Senator Kirsten Gillibrand. In a joint statement applauding “the brave actions of the individuals who have come forward with serious allegations of abuse and misconduct” and noting the “sure and steady leadership” needed to continue leading the state through the ongoing pandemic, the senators said “it is clear that Governor Cuomo has lost the confidence of his governing partners and the people of New York” and “should resign.”
By day’s end, a majority of the delegation—16 out of 19 members—had unified behind such calls, NBC reports, with Rep. Jerry Nadler, the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, saying that both “the repeated accusations against the Governor, and the manner in which he has responded to them, have made it impossible for him to continue to govern at this point.” Rep. Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez issued a joint statement with Rep. Jamaal Bowman, noting the numerous–and apparently still emerging—challenges necessitating his resignation. “The fact that this latest report was so recent is alarming,” they wrote, referring to the second sexual assault allegation and the sixth harassment allegation leveled against Cuomo last week, “and it raises concerns about the present safety and well-being of the administration’s staff.”
Cuomo’s fall from grace has occurred “with the kind of astonishing speed that only the friendless suffer,” the New York Times reported Saturday. Indeed, there appear to be few bridges that New York’s capricious governor has not yet burned, according to the more than two dozen lawmakers, elected officials, current and former Cuomo aides, and other peers who spoke to the Times, alienation achieved over years of hubris governance and bullying tactics. “The problem with Cuomo is no one has ever liked him,” former Lieutenant Governor Richard Ravitch, a New York Democrat, said. “He’s not a nice person and he doesn’t have any real friends. If you don’t have a base of support and you get into trouble, you’re dead meat.”
State Senator Alessandra Biaggi echoed that sentiment in saying she has “not met a person yet in New York politics who has a good relationship with Andrew Cuomo,” including those who remain close to him, an inner circle that has reportedly “shrunk over the years as waves of advisers have tired of his unrelenting and mercurial demands,” according to the Times. Among them was the frequent expectation last spring that aides be able to immediately recall data about “which networks carried him live and exactly when they cut away” from his daily briefings, a reported obsession with his ratings that someone presiding over the then-worst faring state would ostensibly not be preoccupied with. But the arrogant governor relished the celebrity-like attention he got for his early pandemic response, part of Cuomo’s ego-centric approach to politics that now, rocked by a string of scandals, makes it hard to see anyone getting in his corner.
State Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie authorized the Assembly Judiciary Committee to launch an impeachment investigation into the accusations against Cuomo. The 150-member Assembly only requires a majority vote—76 votes—to impeach Cuomo. Democrats hold 106 of the 150 seats. If they vote to impeach, Cuomo would be forced to cede his decision-making abilities to Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul, who would become governor. Cuomo would then go to a trial held by the state Senate, where Democrats hold 43 of the 63 seats. Two-thirds of the legislative chamber would need to find Cuomo guilty for a conviction resulting in removal from office, CNN reports. If acquitted, Cuomo would return to being governor and the powers that come with it.
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