New York Democrats on Friday said that they will continue to investigate Andrew Cuomo after the governor refused to resign.
Cuomo, who categorically denied allegations of sexual harassment on Friday, said that efforts to force him out of office were politically motivated. But New York lawmakers told the Washington Examiner that there are a number of overlapping scandals and allegations that warrant their attention.
Assembly member Phil Steck, one of the Democrats tasked with heading up an impeachment investigation against the governor, said that since Cuomo has historically relied on “rule by press conference,” it is unsurprising that he would face down his accusers with such bravado. But, Steck added, Cuomo left unaddressed questions about his handling of the coronavirus pandemic, which his committee plans to investigate carefully.
A TIMELINE OF THE CUOMO NURSING HOME CONTROVERSY
“There are a lot of areas of inquiry on whether he’s abused his power in an unconstitutional way,” Steck said, pointing to Cuomo’s nursing home scandal, as well as a number of other areas in which he was accused of superseding his authority during the pandemic.
“He’s very used to having his own way, but unfortunately for him, he’s got a lot of serious accusations against him now,” Steck said.
Republicans used Cuomo’s press conference to make the case that the governor’s scandals have made him unable to do his job effectively. Republican Assembly Minority Leader Will Barclay told the Washington Examiner that it came as “no surprise” that Cuomo brazened his way through calls for his resignation.
“Unfortunately, the longer he remains in office, the more of a distraction he becomes from the critical state business we need to complete,” Barclay said.
Cuomo, at his press conference, urged lawmakers to wait for the investigations against his administration to conclude before making judgments on his conduct. On Friday morning, a number of congressional Democrats, including Reps. Jerrold Nadler and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, called on him to resign.
“After two accounts of sexual assault, four accounts of harassment, the Attorney General’s investigation finding the Governor’s admin hid nursing home data from the legislature & public, we agree with the 55+ members of the New York State legislature that the Governor must resign,” Ocasio-Cortez said.
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More than half of New York lawmakers have called for Cuomo’s resignation, and state Democrats this week launched an impeachment investigation against him.
