Several New York City Democrats, including congressmen Jerry Nadler and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, asked Governor Andrew Cuomo to step down on Friday, increasing pressure on the governor to step down amid an investigation into various allegations of sexual harassment .
Nadler, the powerful chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, noted that the six allegations of harassment against the governor are being investigated by Attorney General Letitia James and said the investigation should continue.
Nadler added: “But there is a difference between formal investigations that can end with accusations and a question of confidence in our political leadership.”
“Governor Cuomo has lost the confidence of the people of New York. Governor Cuomo must resign,” said Nadler in the declaration.
A challenger Cuomo told reporters on the phone that he will not bow “to cancel the culture” and that he will not go anywhere.
“I will not resign,” he said, adding that lawmakers will not know the facts until James’ investigation is completed.
“Politicians who do not know a single fact, but form a conclusion or opinion, are reckless and dangerous,” and the people of New York “should not trust” them, said Cuomo.
Nadler’s statement was one of 13 Democrats in the New York Congressional delegation who asked Cuomo to step down on Friday, the majority issued an hour apart.
Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney, chairman of the House Oversight and Reform Committee, said: “I support those who have talked about their stories and admire their courage,” and said she was joining other Democrats who asked Cuomo to step down “in the best interest of all New Yorkers ”.
Ocasio-Cortez released a joint statement with progressive colleague, Deputy Jamaal Bowman, also calling for Cuomo’s resignation, citing the most recent allegation against him.
“The fact that this latest report is so recent is alarming and raises concerns about the current safety and well-being of management officials. These allegations were all consistent and highly detailed, and there are also credible media reports supporting their reports, “they said, noting that Cuomo is also being investigated for underreporting the number of deaths in Covid-19 nursing homes.
“As members of the New York delegation to the US House of Representatives, we believe in these women, we believe in reporting, we believe in the attorney general, and we believe in the fifty-five members of the New York State Legislative Assembly, including the state’s leading Senate. majority, who concluded that Governor Cuomo can no longer lead effectively in the face of so many challenges, ”said the duo.
Reps. Nydia Velázquez, Sean Patrick Maloney, Mondaire Jones, Adriano Espaillat, Brian Higgins, Antonio Delgado, Yvette Clarke, Paul Tonko and Grace Meng also issued calls for Cuomo to step down on Friday. Congresswoman Kathleen Rice was the first to ask for her resignation on March 1.
Cuomo denied touching anyone inappropriately, but acknowledged that he acted in a way that made people uncomfortable. He said it was unintentional and apologized. Cuomo said several times that he would not resign.
Multiple sources told NBC News that the flood of calls was “driven by members” after lawmakers finally reached a critical point.
“We have been testing the temperature for weeks and finally decided that Cuomo is now not serious enough to lead the state,” said a source with direct knowledge of the situation, citing the latest allegations of harassment and the large number of state lawmakers asking Cuomo to stay away.
The number of delegation members speaking will have a “gravitational pull,” said a source.
This is “a chorus that will add many voices,” said the source.
Velázquez, who has been in Congress since 1993, said: “There is only one way for the governor to really restore responsibility and confidence in his position: he must resign.”
Meng was on MSNBC shortly before his statement was released, where she said she thought it was “increasingly difficult” for Cuomo to effectively lead the state.
The calls came a day after a group of nearly 60 state legislators demanded Cuomo’s resignation and State Assembly President Carl Heastie authorized the Assembly’s Judiciary Committee to open an impeachment investigation into the allegations against his Democratic colleague.
State Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, a Democrat, also called for Cuomo’s resignation.
The pressure on Cuomo intensified after an Albany Times-Union report citing an unidentified source earlier this week who said that an unidentified aide claimed that Cuomo had reached under his shirt and caressed it after summoning it to his official residence in the last year.
A lawyer for the governor said on Thursday that she reported the accusation to the police after the woman involved refused to do so, and the matter was referred to the AG’s investigation.
Cuomo called the woman’s report “distressing” after the Times-Union published its report, but insisted on a statement to NBC News earlier this week that “I never did anything like this”.
“I will not speak 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,” he said.
Alex Moe and Haley Talbot contributed.