New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has faced mounting pressure to resign, including from President Joe Biden and other onetime Democratic allies, after an investigation found he sexually harassed nearly a dozen women and worked to retaliate against one of his accusers.
The state’s attorney general Letitia James said Tuesday that Andrew Cuomo sexually harassed “multiple women and she announced the findings of an independent investigation into the powerful Democrat, which prompted immediate calls for his resignation. The explosive report, which was swiftly made public, details allegations by 11 women that paint a “deeply disturbing yet clear” picture of a pattern of abusive behavior by the governor and his senior staff, James said — allegations which Cuomo himself quickly denied. It was not clear if he would face criminal prosecution, with James saying the investigation was “civil in nature. “The leader of the state Assembly, which has the power to bring impeachment charges, said it was clear Cuomo could no longer remain in office. Cuomo remained defiant, saying in a taped response to the findings that the facts are much different than what has been portrayed” and that he “never touched anyone inappropriately or made inappropriate sexual advances.”
In a telephone conversation with Heastie, Cuomo insisted he wouldn’t leave office and told the speaker he needed to work fellow Democrats and garner enough votes to stop an impeachment, according to a person familiar with the conversation. The investigation also found that Cuomo and his senior team took retaliatory action against at least one former employee for coming forward with her story
