New York Governor Andrew Cuomo faced mounting pressure to resign on Thursday when a state assembly spokesman authorized an impeachment investigation into the allegations of misconduct he faces. New York State Assembly President Carl Heastie said he authorized the Assembly’s Judiciary Committee to initiate the investigation, which he said will have the power to interview witnesses and subpoena documents.
The New York attorney general’s office confirmed late on Thursday that the assembly’s investigation would not impact its own independent investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct against Cuomo.
The investigation comes at a time when more than 55 lawmakers said in a letter on Thursday that they want the governor’s departure.
“The budget, the fight against COVID-19 and the restart of the economy depend on clear and reliable leadership,” said the letter. “In light of the governor’s admission of inappropriate behavior and the findings of altered data on deaths in the COVID-19 nursing home, he has lost the confidence of the public and the state legislature, making him ineffective in this most urgent time of need.”
Mayor Bill de Blasio also asked Cuomo to step down. “It is disgusting to me and he can no longer serve as governor,” said the mayor on Thursday.
Cuomo said last week that he would not resign, but his office has pledged to cooperate with the attorney general’s investigation.
Resignations come at a time when Cuomo faces a new allegation of sexual misconduct reported by The Times Union of Albany. The report is based on an anonymous source that the Times Union said it had “direct knowledge” of another woman’s claim.
The source told the Times Union that after watching Cuomo give a press conference about another allegation of sexual misconduct, an adviser to Cuomo was upset and told a supervisor that the governor felt it. The aide claimed that Cuomo had summoned her to the executive mansion to help him with a technical problem involving his cell phone, before reaching under her blouse and stroking it.
The aide, who was not identified, did not submit a report, according to The New York Times.
Cuomo denied the accusations, writing in a statement that “I never did anything like this.” Cuomo called the details “distressing”.
“I will not talk about the details of this or any other allegation, given the ongoing review, but I am confident of the outcome of the attorney general’s report,” said the governor.
Albany police said on Thursday that they had been notified of the allegations by the New York State Police and the governor’s office, according to the Times. Law enforcement officials said the alleged conduct may have risen “to the level of a crime”, but said it did not mean that the department opened a criminal investigation, the Times reported.
Cuomo’s interim lawyer confirmed to CBS News that the allegation had been referred to the police.
“As a matter of state policy, when allegations of physical contact are made, the agency informs the complainant that he must contact the local police department. If he refuses, the agency has an obligation to contact and inform the department about the allegation, “said the lawyer.
“In this case, the person is represented by a lawyer and when the lawyer confirmed that the client did not want to make the complaint, the state notified the police and gave the attorney’s information,” he added.
The Times Union report is one of many reports of sexual harassment made against the governor in recent weeks. Last week, another former Cuomo advisor detailed his own allegations of sexual harassment against Cuomo in a exclusive interview with Norah O’Donnell.
Charlotte Bennett claimed that Cuomo asked inappropriate questions about her sex life, including whether she would consider dating an older man. Cuomo said he “never made progress” in relation to Bennett, but apologized for some of the comments he made during his tenure.
“At the time, I never knew I was making someone uncomfortable,” said Cuomo. “I never, ever had the intention of offending or hurting anyone or causing pain to anyone. I feel terrible that these people felt uncomfortable, they felt hurt, they felt pain because of the interactions and I am ashamed of it, and I feel bad that’s why. “