The Limited Times

Now you can see non-English news...

New York Democratic congressmen call for Cuomo to resign

2021-03-12T22:49:37.125Z


A majority of New York House Democrats called on Governor Andrew Cuomo on Friday to resign. Congressmen call for resignation of the governor of New York 3:42 (CNN) - A majority of New York House Democrats, including some prominent and powerful members of Congress, called on Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Friday to resign over allegations of sexual harassment and his handling of the deaths from covid-19 in nursing homes in the state. Thirteen Democrats in the New York House of Represen


Congressmen call for resignation of the governor of New York 3:42

(CNN) -

A majority of New York House Democrats, including some prominent and powerful members of Congress, called on Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Friday to resign over allegations of sexual harassment and his handling of the deaths from covid-19 in nursing homes in the state.

Thirteen Democrats in the New York House of Representatives said Friday that Cuomo must resign.

They argue that the allegations harm their ability to effectively govern and serve the state's population.

Members of Congress from New York had remained largely silent, while Democratic state lawmakers led calls for Cuomo's resignation.

These surprising and coordinated announcements created a stir in the state and could mark a turning point in the two scandals in which the governor has been embroiled.

Cuomo has vigorously resisted calls for his resignation, which he dismissed as political maneuvers by his rivals.

However, the group requesting his resignation includes members of the different ideological lines of the party.

And it has both long-standing figures linked to

the state's political

establishment

and younger progressive legislators.

His decision follows the one made less than 24 hours ago by Democrats in the state Assembly.

There they defined to initiate an investigation of impeachment that will be carried out at the same time as the independent investigation of the attorney general of the state.

In response to the allegations, Cuomo told a news conference Friday that "let the review continue."

"I am not going to resign," he added.

He also said: «I did not do what has been alleged, period.

I'm not going to speculate on people's possible motives.

Without naming names, the governor attacked lawmakers who called for him to resign.

He said politicians who take a stand "without knowing the facts" are "reckless and dangerous" and join the "culture of cancellation."

Cuomo 'can't lead anymore' say some Democrats

A source familiar with the talks that preceded Friday's coordinated resignation request said the group had been in contact as the allegations mounted, but that it was only on Thursday that they agreed to move forward together.

They decided to wait until Friday morning so as not to interfere with President Joe Biden's speech on Thursday night.

The source said the turning point for members was a combination of the most recent events, including the announcement of the investigation by the State Assembly.

The decision to act almost everyone at the same time was also an acknowledgment that once one placed the order, the pressure on the rest would increase.

The Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, Jerry Nadler, said in a statement that Cuomo has "lost the trust of the people of New York."

For her part, the chairwoman of the House Oversight Committee, Carolyn Maloney, said the resignation would be "in the best interest of all New Yorkers."

Their remarks were joined by Rep. Kathleen Rice, who earlier this month became the first of 19 Democrats in the New York delegation to call for Cuomo to resign.

Representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Jamaal Bowman said they agreed with others "who have come to the conclusion that Governor Cuomo can no longer lead effectively in the face of so many challenges."

"All of these allegations have been consistent and very detailed, and there are also credible media reports corroborating their accounts," Ocasio-Cortez and Bowman said in a joint statement.

They added that they "believe these women" who made the harassment allegations against Cuomo public.

In separate statements Friday, Democrats Grace Meng, Nydia Velázquez, Yvette Clarke, Adriano Espaillat, Mondaire Jones, Antonio Delgado, Sean Patrick Maloney, Brian Higgins and Paul Tonko also urged Cuomo to step down as governor.

Sean Patrick Maloney, who chairs the Congressional Democratic Campaign Committee, also spoke.

The details of the sexual harassment complaint against Cuomo 5:17

Managing the Covid-19 Death Toll in Nursing Homes

The Cuomo administration failed to report roughly 50% of COVID-19 deaths from long-term care patients in New York, according to a January state attorney general report.

He then delayed the time to share that potentially harmful information with lawmakers.

The Government left out the deaths from covid-19 of those who had been transferred outside the facilities or to hospitals, according to a statement from the attorney general Letitia James.

While the report found that the total number of deaths did not change, it led to a misrepresentation of the death toll in long-term care facilities.

Cuomo and his administration defended the decision.

They argued that, with questions from the Justice Department and New York State legislators, the federal investigation became their priority.

The governor denied any allusion to irregularity.

Accusations of sexual harassment

Amid mounting criticism, Cuomo also faces allegations of sexual harassment or inappropriate behavior by several women.

The scandal began on February 24, when former assistant Lindsey Boylan reported in a Medium post that Cuomo kissed her on the lips against her will in 2018 after a meeting in his New York office.

Last week, Cuomo offered an apology to the women, saying he never knew he was "making someone uncomfortable."

He denied touching anyone inappropriately.

Cuomo: I never touched anyone inappropriately 1:40

Nadler said Friday that the allegations against Cuomo are "serious" and credible, and Cuomo is "guaranteed due process under the law," but that trust is a matter of "political judgment."

"The courage people have shown in publicly reporting their experiences with Governor Cuomo is inspiring, and I support them," he said.

"The repeated accusations against the governor, and the way he has responded to them, have made it impossible for him to continue ruling at this time," he added.

Several of the Democrats said Friday that New York State Attorney General Letitia James' investigation should continue.

On Thursday, more than 50 New York State Senate and Assembly Democrats said in a letter that "it is time for Governor Cuomo to step down," arguing that he is "ineffective at this time of urgent need."

Democrats supporting an investigation

The flood of calls for resignation puts the spotlight on New York Senators Chuck Schumer, Majority Leader in the upper house, and Kirsten Gillibrand.

Gillibrand was the first to say in 2017 that former Minnesota Governor Al Franken should report it after several women accused him of having touched them inappropriately.

During an appearance on ABC's "The View" on Thursday, Schumer said the allegations against Cuomo were "very disturbing" and should be fully investigated by the state attorney general, but stopped short of saying that he should step down.

Gillibrand also did not ask for Cuomo's resignation and supports the New York attorney general's investigation.

On Wednesday he declined to discuss with CNN why he considers these accusations different from the ones Franken faced.

However, he has called Cuomo's behavior "completely unacceptable" and said that every allegation of sexual harassment "must be taken seriously and reviewed."

White House press secretary Jen Psaki said the White House had no updates when asked if Biden thinks Cuomo should resign, in light of the steady stream of New York officials and lawmakers calling for him to resign.

"The president believes that every woman who has denounced in public ... deserves to have her voice heard, should be treated with respect and should be able to tell her story," said Psaki.

He added that Biden believes the independent investigation should advance.

Cuomo rejects requests for me to resign

During his conference call later Friday, Cuomo made it clear that he will not resign from his position despite public pressure.

"I will not resign.

I was not elected by the politicians, I was elected by the people, ”he said.

"New Yorkers know me," he insisted.

He urged the public to let the state attorney general's investigation take place and to "wait for the facts."

"I trust that when New Yorkers know the facts of the review, I trust the decision based on the facts," he said.

But wait for the facts.

An opinion without facts is irresponsible, "he added.

He stated that "he has not had an inappropriate sexual relationship, period."

"I never harassed anyone, I never abused anyone, I never assaulted anyone," he said.

Cuomo added that he will avoid "distractions" and focus on his work.

CNN's Kristina Sgueglia, Manu Raju and Ali Zaslav contributed to this report.

Source: cnnespanol

All news articles on 2021-03-12

You may like

News/Politics 2024-02-10T04:24:26.040Z

Trends 24h

News/Politics 2024-03-28T06:04:53.137Z
News/Politics 2024-03-28T05:25:00.011Z

Latest

© Communities 2019 - Privacy

The information on this site is from external sources that are not under our control.
The inclusion of any links does not necessarily imply a recommendation or endorse the views expressed within them.