New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo again ruled out a resignation Sunday, March 7, after coming under new sexual harassment charges and calls from Democratic officials to leave.
Read also: In New York, the fall of Governor Andrew Cuomo
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 relate similar behavior on the part of the elected 63-year-old.
Other former governor's staff describe a “
toxic
”
work environment
.
"
I will not resign for allegations,
" replied the sixty-year-old during a telephone press briefing.
In hollow, he challenged the "
credibility
" of the accusations against him.
Wednesday, after the first salute of allegations, the native of Queens had said "to
apologize deeply
" to those he had been able to hurt, while refuting any inappropriate gesture.
New York State Senate Majority Democrat leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins joined several of her local parliament colleagues on Sunday in calling on Andrew Cuomo to step down.
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, the two chambers voted to withdraw the governor's special powers delegated to him last year to manage 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
”, commented the person concerned, “
not by politicians.
"
In addition to the harassment charges, Andrew Cuomo is suspected of having willfully publicly underestimated the number of coronavirus deaths in nursing homes across the state, 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 acquired an international star status linked to his management of the pandemic, considered rigorous and reactive.
Some even saw him as presidential, denying him any national ambition.
