NY Legislature Opens Cuomo Impeachment Probe Following Slew of Harassment Allegations
Amid a slew of sexual harassment allegations, the New York state legislature is opening an investigation against New York Governor Andrew Cuomo in a process that could eventually lead to his impeachment.
Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie announced Thursday that the lower chamber’s judiciary committee will begin an “impeachment investigation” into misconduct claims and will have broad investigative powers, Time reports.
“The reports of accusations concerning the governor are serious,” Heastie said in a statement. “The committee will have the authority to interview witnesses, subpoena documents and evaluate evidence, as is allowed by the New York State Constitution.”
Cuomo is already the subject of a separate investigation from an outside attorney chosen by state Attorney General Letitia James into the sexual harassment claims, and faces federal probes into his administration covering up coronavirus deaths in nursing homes.
“Today’s action by the New York state legislature will have no bearing on our independent investigation into these allegations against Governor Cuomo,” James said. “Our investigation will continue.”
As more and more allegations surface against him, big name lawmakers are speaking out against Cuomo and calling for him to resign.
Even New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said he’s got to go.
“It is disgusting to me, and he can no longer serve as governor,” De Blasio said during a Thursday press briefing.
But, Cuomo has repeatedly said that he was unaware he ever made anyone uncomfortable and will not step down.
“There is no way I resign,” he said Sunday, adding it would be “anti-democratic.”
If the committee turns up evidence of misconduct, the investigation could lead to impeachment, which has not happened to a sitting governor in New York since 1913.
Following the sixth allegation, 59 Democratic state lawmakers called for his resignation.
“He has lost the confidence of the public and the state legislature, rendering him ineffective in this time of most urgent need,” the lawmakers said in a statement on Thursday.
Impeachment would require a simple majority vote in the Assembly, at which point Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul would become temporary governor while members of the state Senate and the state’s high court would decide on how to proceed. It would take a two-thirds supermajority to remove him from office permanently.
Here’s a list of lawmakers on both sides of the aisle that have called for Cuomo to resign, as reported by City and State NY.
Congress
- Nicole Malliotakis (R)
- Elise Stefanik (R)
- Claudia Tenney (R)
- Lee Zeldin (R)
- Kathleen Rice (R)
State Senate
- Alessandra Biaggi (D)
- Robert Ortt (R)
- Jim Tedisco (D)
- John Liu (D)
- Jessica Ramos (D)
- Gustavo Rivera (D)
- Jabari Brisport (D)
- Julia Salazar (D)
- James Skoufis (D)
- Daphne Jordan (R)
- Tom O’Mara (R)
- Andrea Stewart-Cousins (D)
- Liz Krueger (D)
- Robert Jackson (D)
- Michael Gianaris (D)
- Samra Brouk (D)
- Brad Hoylman (D)
- Elijah Reichlin-Melnick (D)
- James Sanders Jr. (D)
- George Borello (R)
- Andrew Gounardes (D)
- Michelle Hinchey (D)
Assembly
- Mike Lawler, (R)
- Yuh-Line Niou (D)
- Harvey Epstein (D)
- Ron Kim (D)
- Phil Steck. (D)
- Nathalia Fernandez (D)
- Jessica González-Rojas (D)
- Jo Anne Simon (D)
- Angelo Santabarbara (D)
- Dan Quart (D)
- Emily Gallagher (D)
- Zohran Mamdani (D)
- Marcela Mitaynes (D)
- Victor Pichardo (D)
- Phara Souffrant Forrest (D)
- Tom Abinanti (D)
- Aileen Gunther (D)
- William Barclay (R)
- Pat Burke (D)
- Sarah Clark (D)
- Billy Jones (D)
- Carrie Woerner (D)
- Mike Reilly (R)
- Catalina Cruz (D)
- Jonathan Jacobson (D)
- Mary Beth Walsh (R)
- David DiPietro (D)
- Josh Jensen (R)
- Richard Gottfried (D)
- Robert Carroll (D)
Others
- Sexual Harassment Working Group
- Working Families Party
- New York State Young Democrats
- New York City mayoral candidate Dianne Morales
- New York City mayoral candidate Carlos Menchaca
- New York City mayoral candidate Kathryn Garcia
- New York City mayoral candidate Maya Wiley
- New York City mayoral candidate Scott Stringer
- Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro, R
- Queens borough president candidate Jimmy Van Bramer
- New York City comptroller candidate Brad Lander
- Manhattan Borough president candidate Ben Kallos
- Brooklyn Borough president candidate Antonio Reynoso
- Manhattan Borough president candidate Mark Levine
- Times Union Editorial Board
Human Events News will continue following this story as developments arise.
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