Biden, lawmakers call for Gov. Cuomo to resign after sexual harassment probe

ALBANY, New York (NewsNation Now) — President Joe Biden joined a chorus of lawmakers calling for Gov. Andrew Cuomo to resign after an attorney general report found he sexually harassed multiple women.

“I think he should resign,” Biden told reporters Tuesday.

Three New York Congressional representatives along with Senator Kirsten Gillibrand and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer have called for Cuomo to resign in light of the “disturbing allegations.”

Gillibrand told reporters, “this is a serious and damning report.”

New York Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie said the legislature will move forward “expeditiously” to wrap up the parallel impeachment investigation into Cuomo they’ve been conducting this year.

“After our conference this afternoon to discuss the Attorney General’s report concerning sexual harassment allegations against Governor Cuomo, it is abundantly clear to me that the Governor has lost the confidence of the Assembly Democratic majority and that he can no longer remain in office,” Heastie said in a statement. “Once we receive all relevant documents and evidence from the Attorney General, we will move expeditiously and look to conclude our impeachment investigation as quickly as possible.”

The House of Representative’s third-highest ranking Republican Elise Stefanik went a step further and called for his arrest in light of the report’s findings.

“No one is above the law and today justice must be served. Governor Cuomo must resign and be arrested immediately,” Stefanik said in a statement.

Schumer and Gillibrand released a joint statement Tuesday which said in part, “no elected official is above the law. The people of New York deserve better leadership in the governor’s office. We continue to believe that the Governor should resign.”

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi also joined the calls among federal officials for Cuomo to resign.

In a statement she wrote, “As always, I commend the women who came forward to speak their truth. Recognizing his love of New York and the respect for the office he holds, I call upon the Governor to resign.”

An investigation into Cuomo found that he sexually harassed multiple current and former state government employees.

The nearly five-month investigation revealed that Cuomo’s administration was a “hostile work environment” and was “rife with fear and intimidation.” The probe, conducted by two outside lawyers, involved interviews with 179 people including Cuomo’s accusers, current and former administration employees and the governor himself.

The initial claims from accusers led to a chorus of Cuomo’s fellow Democrats demanding his resignation, including both of New York’s U.S. senators. More than 130 state lawmakers said Cuomo should resign at the time.

President Joe Biden said in the spring that Cuomo should resign if the state attorney general’s investigation confirms the sexual harassment allegations against him.

An impeachment inquiry has been ongoing in the New York State assembly involving the sexual harassment allegations as well as reports he misused his public office and his administration’s mishandling of the coronavirus pandemic in nursing homes.

New York Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins issued a statement following the report saying, “As I said 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.”

Cuomo denied the revelations of an attorney general report that found he sexually harassed multiple current and former state employees in a televised statement Tuesday.

“I never touched anyone inappropriately,” Cuomo said. “That’s just not who I am.”

He did not make any indications he plans to resign. Cuomo instead released photos of him kissing and hugging various people throughout his political career as evidence some of the behavior he is accused of was normal for him.

The governor also announced his office would revamp its sexual harassment educational program to better reflect the issues raised about Cuomo’s conduct.