Joe Biden will continue to work with New York Governor Andrew Cuomo in responding to the coronavirus pandemic and other issues, despite finding the recent wave of allegations of sexual misconduct against Cuomo “disturbing” and “difficult to read”.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters on Monday that Biden has not spoken directly to Cuomo since accusations of sexual misconduct and hostile behavior in the workplace against the governor arose.
“Like everyone who continues to read stories – and new developments seem to happen every day – we find them worrisome, the president finds them worrisome, difficult to read,” said Psaki. “Every woman who takes a step forward needs to be treated with dignity and respect.”
The New York attorney general is conducting an independent review of Cuomo’s actions, which the Biden government supports, Psaki said on Monday.
“The president believes that [investigation] it is appropriate, as is the vice president, ”said Psaki.
“The investigation needs to be quick and thorough, consistent with the seriousness of these allegations,” she said.
But Cuomo stuck his foot out, denying wrongdoing and insisting that he will not step down.
As long as he remains in office, Ms. Psaki said, the White House will be forced to work with him to mitigate Covid’s impact on people in his state.
“Our goal … here remains to keep the Covid pandemic in check and we don’t want the people of New York or any state to have a negative impact,” she said. “We will continue to work with a number of governors, including Governor Cuomo.”
Biden and spokeswoman Nancy Pelosi have so far refused to say whether Cuomo should resign as the investigation into multiple accusations of sexual misconduct against him unfolds.
“The governor must look into his heart – he loves New York – to see if he can govern effectively,” said Pelosi over the weekend. “And that could be one of the considerations he has.”
On Friday, Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer and Senator Kirsten Gillibrand joined a New York Congressional delegation demanding that the governor resign.
“Due to multiple 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,” Empire State senators said in a joint statement.
Although dozens of prominent Democratic leaders have called for his resignation, Cuomo has insisted that he will resist the “culture of cancellation” that he believes has led to premature calls for his departure.
Earlier this month, he apologized for “making anyone feel uncomfortable”, while affirming that “he never touched anyone inappropriately”.
So far, at least half a dozen women have submitted highly detailed reports alleging the governor’s sexual misconduct. An unidentified individual has also filed an accusation of misconduct.
Lindsey Boylan, a former Cuomo government official who accused the governor of sexually harassing her on several occasions, criticized national Democratic leaders like Biden and Pelosi, who did not directly say that Cuomo should step down.
“If you are a national leader invited to give an opinion on @NYGovCuomo and do not ask for his resignation at this time, you do not care about the equality of women,” tweeted Boylan on Sunday.
Mr. Cuomo defended himself at a news conference last week, saying that “there are often many motivations for making a complaint”, apparently accusing the various women of having ulterior motives.