Accused again and let go by his party, Andrew Cuomo rejects a resignation
New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo again ruled out a resignation on Sunday after coming under new charges of sexual harassment and calls from Democratic officials to quit.
In office for ten years, the one who was a symbol of the fight against the pandemic had already been questioned by three women in the last ten days for inappropriate gestures or comments, with a sexual connotation.
On Saturday, the Washington Post and the Wall Street Journal published two new testimonies, which chronicle similar behavior on the part of the 63-year-old elected official. Other former governor's staff describe a "toxic" work environment.
"I am not going to resign over the allegations," the 60-year-old replied during a telephone press briefing. Basically, he questioned the "credibility" of the accusations against him.
On Wednesday, after the first round of allegations, the Queens native said "a deep apology" to those he may have hurt, while denying any inappropriate gesture.
New York State Senate majority leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins joined several of her local parliament colleagues on Sunday in calling on Andrew Cuomo to resign.
Soon after, his counterpart in the lower house, Carl Heastie, followed suit, saying it was "time for the governor to seriously question whether he (could) meet the expectations of the citizens of New York ”under these conditions.
On Friday, both houses voted to remove the governor's special powers delegated to him last year to deal with the pandemic. The text must be ratified by Andrew Cuomo himself. In the event of a veto, Parliament can override.
"I was elected by the people of this state," said the man, "not by politicians. "
In addition to the harassment charges, Andrew Cuomo is believed to have publicly underestimated the number of coronavirus deaths in state retirement homes, which has reached more than 13,000.
A federal investigation is underway to shed light on these accusations.
A local political figure until last year, Andrew Cuomo had achieved international star status linked to his handling of the pandemic, seen as rigorous and responsive. Some even saw him as presidential, denying him any national ambition.
