A plane pulls a banner with the words “New Yorkers say: Cuomo’s Got To Go!” at the New York State Capitol in response to accusations of sexual harassment against Governor Andrew Cuomo. | Bennett Raglin / Getty Images for UltraViolet, Women’s March, Girls for Gender Equity
Dozens of Democrats, including the two New York senators, most of the state Congressional delegation and more than half of the legislators, called for Governor Andrew Cuomo to step down. But Joe Biden resisted.
The president said on Tuesday that he would wait for the investigation into the charges against the governor to be completed before considering Cuomo’s future. This puts him in conflict with some groups of women, who asked Cuomo to resign and reiterated his belief that survivors need to be believed in the #MeToo era. But despite being behind their own party, these groups are giving Biden a chance.
Biden’s comments represent “a promising first step,” said Shaunna Thomas, executive director of UltraViolet, a women’s advocacy group that has asked for Cuomo’s resignation.
The groups even praised Biden for what appeared to be an impromptu suggestion that Cuomo could be prosecuted if the charges of sexual misconduct against him were found to be true; at the same time saying that they would encourage the president to go further.
“The fact that Biden is leading the investigation in this direction is important,” said Rachel O’Leary Carmona, executive director of Women’s March. “It is a strong sign that real responsibility is needed.”
“We intend to continue to pressure Cuomo and the White House to do the right thing for women here, while we try to fix the mistakes that women have certainly been dealing with for more than four years, but especially in the past four years,” Carmona added . “What sets Biden apart … is that he listens and changes. It can be moved. “
In comments to ABC News, Biden told anchor George Stephanopoulos that Cuomo should resign if an investigation confirms the allegations of his accusers. “I think he will probably also end up being sued,” added Biden.
When asked about statements by almost the entire Democratic Party in New York that Cuomo can no longer serve effectively, Biden said, “It is a trial for them to make.”
New York Attorney General Letitia James, a Democrat, launched an investigation into Cuomo’s half-dozen charges of palpation, sexual harassment and phone call scolding. Cuomo, who also faces all charges that he hid the deaths of the Covid nursing home, apologized for causing unintended harm to women, but insisted that he never touched any woman “inappropriately”.
“It is a protection for survivors to have a fair and neutral person without a party agenda involved in the assessment of allegations,” said Fatima Goss Graves, president and CEO of the National Women’s Law Center, which runs the Time’s Up Legal Defense Fund. “It is a protection for survivors not to be placed in a situation where we are subject to public figures with political objectives, minimizing experiences or supporting experiences.”
But Lindsey Boylan, the first woman to accuse Cuomo of sexual harassment, criticized Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris on Twitter for remaining relatively quiet about the charges until recently. She deleted one of her tweets over the weekend that questioned her judgment and courage.
Biden’s comments to ABC echo the approach he took during the presidential campaign, when he faced his own allegation of decades of sexual assault by a former employee.
After former Senate aide Tara Reade accused Biden of sexually assaulting her in a Senate hallway in 1993, Biden said the women’s stories “should be subjected to appropriate investigation and scrutiny” and asked “women’s organizations.” responsible news “that would examine and evaluate your story.
Reade had previously said that Biden had touched her inappropriately, but did not attack her. Others came forward to say that Reade told them about the incident years ago, although none of the Senate advisers with whom Reade said remembered the incident.
Groups of women were quick on Wednesday to note that the charges against Biden and Cuomo are different. Cuomo faces several similar charges of misconduct that would have occurred during his current job. Neither was true in Biden’s case, they say.
“Reasonable minds can differ on this and that is what you are seeing now,” said Paula Brantner, a lawyer who runs a consulting firm that deals with sexual harassment and signed a letter asking James to protect the accusers and avoid political interference. in your investigation.
Brantner said that if it weren’t for the governor, Cuomo would probably already be on leave. “We need to have responsibility and any waiver that gets in the way of responsibility is not something that I personally want to see,” she said.
Most prominent New York Democrats, including Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand and New York Mayor Bill de Blasio, want Cuomo to step down after women’s accusations and an unrelated scandal in the nursing home.
Groups of women, including the National Organization for Women, agree. On Wednesday, they held up a banner with the words “New Yorkers say: Cuomo’s Got to Go”, about the state capitol and the Governor’s Mansion in Albany.
“There is an urgent need to remove him from a position of power – honestly, starting with the security of his own team,” said Thomas.