More than half of the New York State Assembly have expressed support for the impeachment of Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo in the wake of an explosive report confirming that he sexually harassed at least 11 women.
86 of the 150 members of the state assembly would be on board with impeaching the Democrat should he choose not to resign – despite top Democrats calling for him to do so.
State Assemblyman Ron Kim, a fellow Democrat, has already called for the Assembly, now in recess, to return “immediately” to begin impeachment proceedings against the governor.
“There is no measure left to hide the truth. The governor broke the law so we must hold him accountable,” Kim said in a statement.
“When institutions fail to believe victims, allow predators to act with impunity, or fail to put policies of protection in place, it sends a strong signal that condones this type of unacceptable behavior. We cannot afford to ignore his transgressions any longer: doing so will erode the integrity of our legislative body and demonstrate complicity in sheltering a sexual predator,” she said.
State Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, another Democrat, agreed. “When these disturbing allegations first came to light, the governor must resign for the good of the state. Now that the investigation is complete and the allegations have been substantiated, it should be clear to everyone that he can no longer serve as governor,” she said.
Regardless, Cuomo’s time as Governor of New York is coming to a certain end. President Joe Biden, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and the two New York U.S. senators — both Democrats — have called for Cuomo to step down.
The Democratic governor sexually harassed at least 11 women and then retaliated against at least one former employee who complained, according to a report released Tuesday by state Attorney General Letitia James.
The report concluded that the governor “sexually harassed multiple women and in doing so violated federal and state law,” James said at a press conference.
The probe included interviews with 179 witnesses and a review of tens of thousands of documents, concluding that Cuomo’s office was a hostile workplace filled with fear and intimidation.
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said Wednesday that Cuomo should face criminal charges following the bombshell report. The mayor, who has long feuded with his fellow Democrat, also predicted the governor will eventually resign.
“If you assault a woman, you do something against her will sexually, that’s criminal,” de Blasio said on CBS. “The Albany County District Attorney’s looking at that, and I think he should be charged.”
In fact, Albany County District Attorney David Soares said Tuesday that his office is indeed beginning a criminal investigation into Cuomo. “We are conducting our own separate investigation,” Soares said on “NBC Nightly News.”
Cuomo also faces legal issues. “District attorneys in Manhattan, suburban Westchester and Nassau counties and the state capital of Albany said they asked for investigative materials from the inquiry, overseen by Democratic state Attorney General Letitia James. The inquiry found that Cuomo — a former state AG himself — violated civil laws against sexual harassment, and it left the door open for local prosecutors to bring cases,” The Associated Press reported.
Author: Mike Williams
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