Cuomo resigns as governor: "I will step aside" 3:30
(CNN) -
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said Tuesday he would resign, a measure that will take effect in 14 days.
"The best way I can help is if I step aside and let the government go back to government."
A report released last week by New York Attorney General Letitia James detailed the allegations of 11 women and found that Cuomo engaged in "unwanted and non-consensual touching," among other accusations.
The governor has insisted that he did nothing wrong and gave no indication in a video response after the report was released that he would resign.
Cuomo called the ability to have a functional government during this pandemic a "matter of life and death."
"Wasting energy on distractions is the last thing the state government should do, and I can't be the cause of that," he said.
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"I love New York and I love you," he said apparently emotionally in a message to the citizens of New York.
"I work for you," he said, addressing New Yorkers, and "doing the right thing is doing the right thing for you."
Additionally, he called Lt. Governor Kathy Hochul "smart and confident" adding that the transition "must be seamless" and "she can catch up quickly."
Meanwhile, he thanked his team, including his top assistant, Melissa de Rosa, who recently resigned.
Cuomo touted his successes as governor, including his actions in the face of natural disasters and emergencies, free college tuition, infrastructure projects, and his stewardship of the covid-19 pandemic.
Cuomo has defended himself against the accusations against him
Cuomo said Tuesday that he did not appreciate generational and cultural changes, and should have, adding: “In my mind, I have never crossed the line with anyone, but I did not realize how far the line has been redrawn. ".
"The report said that I sexually harassed 11 women, that was the headline that people heard, saw and reacted to," he said.
"The reaction was outrage and it should have been," he continued.
"However, it was also false."
Cuomo said his attorney, Rita Glavin, has already raised serious "issues and flaws that should concern all New Yorkers" regarding the fairness of the report.
"The most serious allegations against me have no credible factual basis in the report."
"And there is a difference between the alleged misconduct and the finding of sexual harassment."
"This is not to say that there are not 11 women that I really offended, there are, and for that I deeply apologized."
He said that he thought he was being "friendly" and "nice" with his kisses and hugs, but ultimately, "I take full responsibility for my actions."
“I have been too familiar with people.
My sense of humor can be offensive and unpleasant.
I hug and kiss people casually. "
"In my mind, I've never crossed the line with anyone, but I didn't realize how far the line has been redrawn."
'A result the president asked for'
The White House reacted to the news that Governor Andrew Cuomo will resign in 14 days.
In that sense, they reiterated that it was an outcome that President Joe Biden had advocated for.
In addition, they dismissed any concern that the breaking news overshadow the approval of a key issue on the bipartisan agenda.
“The president made his views and opinions clear last week.
Our take is this is about these brave women who came forward, told their stories, shared their stories.
And the investigation overseen by the attorney general which, of course, was completed today in an outcome that the president requested last week, ”White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters at the news conference of this Tuesday.
Psaki said that Biden hasn't spoken to Cuomo.
"There are no plans, that I know of" to speak to him, he said. And when asked if the White House received a notice about the resignation, Psaki said, "No."
Psaki said Biden has "not yet" spoken with Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul, who will become New York's first female governor when Cuomo's resignation takes effect.
He also suggested that the American people are more concerned about the passage of the infrastructure bill in the Senate than about the Cuomo news, which happened within minutes of each other.
The details of the US infrastructure plan 0:59
“What I can assure you is that Americans across the country, coming and going to work, taking their children to camp, worrying about whether their children have access to clean water, and concentrating on whether the schools they go to They have the resources they need, they are more focused on the fact that 69 members of the Senate, 19 Republicans, came together to take an important step forward.
That's my bet in terms of what people are talking about, ”said Psaki.
Betsy Klein contributed to this report
Andrew Cuomo