Protesters protest New York Governor Andrew Cuomo outside his office.Brittainy Newman / AP
The political future of New York Governor Andrew Cuomo is hanging by a thread.
The Democrat is reluctant to leave office despite mounting pressure from his own party to resign after the prosecution has concluded, after an exhaustive investigation, which sexually harassed at least 11 women.
The investigations were civil, not criminal, so they do not have criminal repercussions, but the president, Joe Biden, and the leader of the House of Representatives, the also democrat Nancy Pelosi, called for his resignation.
Cuomo refuses to resign because he alleges that he is innocent, but the state legislature - controlled by the Democrats - has an investigation underway to initiate a parliamentary trial (
impeachment
) against Cuomo and vote on his impeachment.
More news
Biden calls for the resignation of the Democratic governor of New York
A collaborator joins the list of women accusing Cuomo of sexual harassment
Criminal actions against the governor are not ruled out.
Manhattan prosecutors Westchester and Albany opened separate investigations on Wednesday and asked New York Attorney General Letitia James for material related to the devastating report.
This opens the door to possible criminal charges against Cuomo for his conduct towards current and former employees.
Cuomo, the son of three-time New York Governor Mario Cuomo, entered politics with a powerful last name and cunningly rose through the ranks of the Democratic Party. He even sounded like Biden's possible number two as vice president, although the Democratic leader always wanted a woman for the job. During the early days of the pandemic, he had gained popularity with his daily press conferences, copious in numbers and guidelines, which contrasted with the volatility of Donald Trump's appearances. Cuomo was one of the most trusted figures among Americans when the health crisis was at its worst and his city was the epicenter. In March of last year, his approval of his discharge in the pandemic was 87%, above Dr. Anthony Fauci, according to a survey by the
Siena College Research Institute
.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo during a press conference.
On video, Cuomo again denies the accusations against him.
PHOTO AND VIDEO: REUTERS
The sex scandal erupted in late February, when the governor was already raising money to run for a fourth term.
The rise of the Democrat in 2020 was as swift as his fall from grace has been resounding.
New York Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, who launched an investigation in March to determine whether to
impeach
Cuomo, said Tuesday night that the governor "lost the confidence of the assembly's Democratic majority." and that "he can no longer remain in office."
Join EL PAÍS now to follow all the news and read without limits
Subscribe here
Cuomo faces the most vulnerable moment in his public life more and more alone.
The governors of the four neighboring states to New York issued a joint statement calling for his removal, a lawsuit that has been cascaded in by senators, congressmen and mayors.
"I should quit," Biden said.
Pelosi, an old friend of the Cuomo family, said Tuesday: "Recognizing your love for New York and respect for the position you hold, I ask the governor to resign."
This Wednesday's editorial in
The New York Times
argued for the same thing.
If the pressures manage to subdue Cuomo and he ends up resigning or is removed from office, former Democratic Congresswoman and current Lieutenant Governor of the State Kathy Hochul, 62, would become the first woman in history to serve as governor of New York. . "The attorney general's investigation has documented repulsive and illegal behavior by the governor toward several women," Hochul said Tuesday. “Nobody is above the law. Under New York law, the Assembly will now determine the next steps, "he added.
Cuomo defended himself against the conclusions of the Prosecutor's Office in a recorded video in which he completely dismissed some complaints and downplayed others. Furthermore, alluding to his Italian-American origin, he emphasized that “generational or cultural” differences may have given rise to misunderstandings. He also asked for forgiveness in specific cases. While he recounted that it was inherent to him to hug or say "honey", some supporting images showed him having contact with people on the street or at events with public figures. In an almost desperate move to show that he is not the only politician who wants to "convey warmth," the document he presented in response to the accusations showed photos of former Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama hugging people. They were victims of natural disasters consoled by the leaders.
But the allegations of sexual harassment from the 11 women do not refer to occasional hugs or a lexicon that could be misinterpreted. The prosecution's report includes complaints of unwanted sexual contact on the breasts and buttocks. Women speak of situations in the workplace that indicate that bullying was "a pattern of behavior." The investigation by two independent attorneys took five months to corroborate the stories of eight women, most of them current or former employees, and included three previously unknown accounts of sexual harassment.
To reach these conclusions, the lawyers in the case interviewed 179 people, reviewed 74,000 documents (emails, files, messages and photographs) and interrogated Cuomo for 11 hours, who had requested the investigation. This Tuesday, the governor alleged that the process has been driven by "political" reasons. The attorney general is also investigating whether the Democrat violated the law by using members of his team to write and promote a book:
American Crisis: Leadership Lessons from the Covid-19 Pandemic
. On the other hand, federal investigators dig into the state's handling of data related to nursing home deaths that were apparently falsified.
