Hudson Valley politicians from both sides call for Gov. Cuomo's resignation

Several Hudson Valley officials are calling for Gov. Andrew Cuomo's immediate resignation in light of Attorney Letitia James' report that he sexually harassed current and former New York state employees.

News 12 Staff

Aug 3, 2021, 4:51 PM

Updated 1,240 days ago

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Several Hudson Valley officials are calling for Gov. Andrew Cuomo's immediate resignation in light of Attorney Letitia James' report that he sexually harassed current and former New York state employees by engaging in unwelcomed and non-consensual touching.
Democratic Westchester County Executive George Latimer said in a statement, "The Attorney General's findings are clear and compelling. The Governor must resign. The patterns of sexually harassing, intimidating and inappropriate behavior towards women cannot be tolerated."
Democratic Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins (D-35th District) said, "This report highlights unacceptable behavior. As I said, when these disturbing allegations first came to light, the Governor must resign for the good of the state. It should be clear to everyone that he can no longer serve as Governor."
Sen. Elijah Reichlin-Melnick ( D, WF - 38th District) said, "These allegations confirm that it is long past time for Governor Cuomo to resign and face consequences for his actions. If he refuses, the Assembly should move to impeach immediately."
Assemblyman Mike Lawler (R-97th District) released a statement saying, "If Governor Cuomo won't step down today -- then he must be impeached immediately."
Assemblyman Colin J. Schmitt (R,C,I,LBT,SAM - New Windsor) said, "Upon review of the report from the Independent Special Counsel's Investigation conducted by the Attorney General's office, it is evident that Governor Cuomo must immediately resign and be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. No one is above the law, including Andrew Cuomo."
Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro (R) didn't mince words. "Attorney General James and the independent investigators have confirmed what we've known for years: Andrew Cuomo is a monster. My heart breaks for the survivors. The pervasive culture of fear and sexual abuse in this administration is well known and now publicly exposed. If not for the bravery of the eleven women who came forward, Andrew Cuomo's reign of terror would have continued to be ignored and covered up. The grotesque violations outlined in this report are just the tip of the iceberg for an administration that routinely ignores the rule of law. He was and is unfit to serve, must resign, and be brought to justice."
Westchester County Executive George Latimer weighed in on the independent investigation, saying, "The attorney general's findings are clear and compelling. The governor must resign. The patterns of sexually harassing -- intimidating and inappropriate behavior towards women cannot be tolerated."
New York Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins also commented on the investigation, saying in part, "Now that the investigation is complete, it should be clear to everyone that he can no longer serve as governor."
Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie released the following statement: "After our conference this afternoon to discuss the Attorney General's report concerning sexual harassment allegations against Governor Cuomo, it is abundantly clear to me that the Governor has lost the confidence of the Assembly Democratic majority and that he can no longer remain in office. Once we receive all relevant documents and evidence from the Attorney General, we will move expeditiously and look to conclude our impeachment investigation as quickly as possible."
Republican Assemblyman Kieran Lalor, of Dutchess County, who was one of the first state lawmakers calling for an impeachment investigation since early this year, released the following statement:
"In February, I called for the impeachment of Gov. Cuomo. His impeachable offenses are many. The list of sexual harassment and sexual assault allegations confirmed by today’s Attorney General report are one set of impeachable offenses committed by Cuomo. I applaud the courage of Cuomo’s victims for persevering through months of the bureaucratic, legal and political processes to reach this point. We should also not forget the thousands of New Yorkers who lost their lives in nursing homes due to Cuomo’s policies and his subsequent cover up and trivialization of these deaths. Moreover, the pay to play elements of Governor Cuomo’s book deal and his handling of Covid yield additional impeachable offenses. I renew my call for the impeachment of the Governor by the Assembly.”