President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris are not asking New York Governor Andrew Cuomo to step down, even as a growing number of New York Democrats and nationalities say it is time for the scandal-filled governor to step down.
The president and vice president are not going as far as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., And House Democratic Congressional President Hakeem Jeffries, DN.Y. In the past few days, the two high-ranking members of the House have not explicitly said that Cuomo should resign, but have hinted that he should take this seriously.
This occurs when Cuomo’s support evaporates among other Democrats, including Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer, DN.Y., the highest-ranking New Yorker in Congress, and among traditional allies in the New York state legislature. .
President Biden and Vice President Harris, then candidates, arrive to speak during a press conference at Alexis Dupont High School in Wilmington, Del., On Wednesday, August 12, 2020.
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Cuomo is accused, among other things, of sexually harassing several women and of covering up the deaths of asylum residents because of the coronavirus. Many have attributed a significant part of coronavirus deaths in New York to the state’s policy since the beginning of the pandemic to discharge contagious patients in collective homes filled with highly vulnerable people.
But among Democratic politicians, sexual harassment charges appear to be the main reason for calls for Cuomo to step down.
“Facing and overcoming the Covid crisis requires secure and firm leadership. We commend the courageous actions of individuals who have made serious allegations of abuse and misconduct,” said Senators Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, DN.Y. in a statement on Friday.
They added: “Due to multiple and credible allegations of sexual harassment and misconduct, it is clear that Governor Cuomo has lost the trust of his government partners and the people of New York. Governor Cuomo must step down.”
Still, as the number of public prosecutors against Cuomo continues to grow, the president and vice president have not abandoned the governor. The White House did not respond to a question sent on Sunday asking whether Biden and Harris believe Cuomo should resign.
In this image taken from the New York Governor’s Office video, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo speaks during a news conference on Wednesday, March 3, 2021, in Albany, NY. Harassed on charges of sexual harassment, a somber Cuomo apologized, saying he “learned an important lesson” about his own behavior with women, but said he intended to stay in office.
(NY Governor’s Office via AP)
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Biden himself was asked about Cuomo on Sunday and echoed the previous White House position that people should wait for the outcome of the New York Attorney General’s investigation, Letitia James, despite the fact that several new prosecutors have left in the past few days. .
“I think the investigation is underway and we should see what that brings us,” said Biden on Sunday.
The embattled governor was also called on to resign by at least 26 federal legislators and 135 New York state legislators. More than 85% of the New York Congressional delegation appealed to Cuomo to step down. This includes the establishment representative Jerrold Nadler, DN.Y., and the progressive arsonist Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, DN.Y., among many others.
“This week, the second charge of sexual assault and the sixth charge of harassment were brought against Governor Cuomo,” said Ocasio-Cortez in a joint statement with Deputy Jamaal Bowman, DN.Y., another progressive representative from New York City. York. Some of the accusers against Cuomo did not go so far as to call Cuomo’s behavior sexual harassment, but emphasized that it was inappropriate and bothered them.
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“The fact that this latest report is so recent is alarming and raises concerns about the current safety and well-being of management personnel,” continued the pair. “[W]and we believe in these women, we believe in the reports, we believe in the Attorney General and we believe in the fifty-five members of the New York State legislature, including the majority leader in the state Senate, who concluded that Governor Cuomo can no longer effectively lead in the face of to so many challenges. ”
Pelosi and Jeffries are among other high-profile national Democrats who have not yet explicitly asked for Cuomo’s resignation. But each of them has issued harsh statements that question whether Cuomo can continue to do his job.
On ABC’s “This Week” Sunday, Pelosi reiterated that there is “zero tolerance” for sexual harassment in the House of Representatives, but did not explicitly say that Cuomo should resign.
“I think we should see the results of the investigation … but he can decide,” replied Pelosi. “And I hope that result will be soon. What I’m saying is that the governor should look into his heart – he loves New York – to see if he can govern effectively. And that could be one of the considerations he has.”
Jeffries, who is the highest-ranking New York Democrat in the House, also did not directly say that Cuomo should resign.
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“The charges against Governor Andrew Cuomo are very serious and deeply disturbing. Every woman who has come forward must be treated with dignity and respect throughout the process,” he said. Jeffries also said that the decision by the state legislature to open an impeachment investigation against Cuomo was “the right decision”.
“In these extraordinary circumstances, the governor must seriously consider whether he can continue to lead the state effectively. Nobody is above the law, ”he added.
Cuomo has so far refused to resign. At the same time, he apologized for making some women uncomfortable, while denying he touched a woman inappropriately.
“Women have the right to come forward and be heard and I fully encourage that. But I also want to be clear, there is still a question of truth, I did not do what was alleged. Period,” he said at a press conference. Cuomo continued to encourage people to wait for the outcome of James’ investigation before deciding whether he should remain in office.
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“There are often many motivations for making a report and that is why you need to know the facts before making a decision,” he added, saying that those asking for his resignation are being “reckless and dangerous”.
The governor and his cabinet also defended the decision of the nursing home. Governor Beth Garvey’s acting lawyer said last week that “no one … has ever changed the fatality data” and that “the March 25 statement was not the main factor in deaths in nursing homes.”
Fox News’s Remy Numa and Danielle Wallace contributed to this report.