NEW YORK (AP) – The two top Democrats in the New York legislature on Sunday withdrew their support for Governor Andrew Cuomo amid growing allegations of sexual harassment and the counting of COVID-19 deaths in nursing homes.
Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins became the first senior Democrat in the state to say the three-term governor should resign. The speaker of the Assembly, Carl Heastie, stopped demanding that Cuomo resign, but said in a statement that “it is time for the governor to seriously consider whether he can effectively meet the needs of New Yorkers.” “
On Saturday, two other women who worked for Cuomo publicly accused him of inappropriate behavior over the past week.
“There is a different report every day that withdraws government affairs,” Stewart-Cousins said in a statement. “New York is still in the midst of this pandemic and is still facing the consequences of society, health and the economy. We must rule without daily distraction. To the benefit of the state, Governor Cuomo must resign. ”
Her public push for his resignation came shortly after a Sunday press conference where Cuomo said it would be ‘anti-democratic’ for him to retire.
“There’s no way I’m resigning,” Cuomo told reporters.
“They do not dominate the will of the people, but not the election,” he said. ‘I was elected by the residents of the state of New York. I was not elected by politicians. ”
In a brief telephone conversation Sunday before the press conference, Cuomo told Stewart-Cousins he would not quit, and they would have to accuse him if they wanted him out of office, according to a person informed by someone is. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the call was private.
Cuomo said the next six months would determine how successful New York emerged from the coronavirus pandemic. “I’m not going to be distracted because there is too much to do for the people,” he said, pointing out that the state must implement a budget within three weeks and administer another 15 million COVID-19 vaccines.
Support for Cuomo eroded with surprising speed when he faced twin scandals, one over his treatment of women in the workplace, and a second over his government’s months-long refusal to release complete statistics on COVID-19 deaths in nursing homes to make.
Some lawmakers are furious about revelations that Cuomo’s government has delayed the release of data on the deaths of nursing home patients in hospitals, at least in part because of concerns that President Donald Trump’s government may use it against it.
Several women have publicly stated that they have been sexually harassed, or at least made humble and uncomfortable. The state’s attorney general is investigating. Cuomo urged people to wait until the investigation is completed before judging him.
Others who have asked Cuomo to resign are US Representative Kathleen Rice, a Democratic Long Island.
Former Adviser Lindsey Boylan(36) said Cuomo made inappropriate remarks about her appearance, joked about strip poker and kissed her on the lips once at the end of a meeting. Former assistant, 25-year-old Charlotte Bennett, said Cuomo asked if she had ever had sex with older men. and made other comments that she interpreted to measure her interest in a relationship.
Another former assistant, Ana Liss, told The Wall Street Journal in a story published on Saturday, when Cuomo was working as a policy assistant to the governor between 2013 and 2015, calling her ‘beloved’, her kissed hand and asked personal questions, including whether she had a boyfriend.
Asked about Liss’ story at his news conference Sunday, Cuomo said such talk was “my way of skating kindly.”
Cuomo’s comments at a news conference last week acknowledged that he made jokes and asked personal questions in an effort to be collegiate and greeted people regularly with hugs and kisses.
“I never meant to make anyone feel uncomfortable,” he said. Cuomo denied touching anyone inappropriately.
Although Cuomo has been apologetic in recent days for his behavior, and at least quietly admits that some of the things women said are true, he also pointed out some accusations as false.
On Sunday, he disputed a story told by Karen Hinton, a former Cuomo press aide, when he served as federal housing secretary under President Bill Clinton.
In a story published in The Washington Post on Saturday, Hinton described a divergent interaction with the hotel room with Cuomo when they met in California two years ago when they were trying to recover things after an alienation.
Hinton said Cuomo, as she got up to leave, gave her a hug that was “very long, too long, too tight, too intimate.”
She does not describe the encounter as sexual harassment, but as a ‘power play’ for ‘manipulation and control’. At the time, she was no longer an assistant to Cuomo.
Asked about Hinton’s report on Sunday, Cuomo said it was “not true” and noted that the two had been political opponents for two years.
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AP Reporter Michael Balsamo Contributed to Washington, DC Report