Queens man resigns
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Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced he would resign on Tuesday, Aug. 10, amid allegations of sexual harassment. Screenshot via Gov. Cuomo/Twitter
By Jacob Kaye
Governor Andrew Cuomo, the second Queens-born executive to face an impeachment scandal in the past two years, announced his resignation Tuesday, a week after State Attorney General Letitia James published a report alleging he sexually harassed nearly a dozen women during his time as the state’s top elected official.
“Given the circumstances, the best way I can help now is if I step aside,” Cuomo said during a press conference Tuesday. “Thank you for the honor of serving you, it has been the honor of my lifetime.”
The 56th governor of New York, who will officially hand over the reins to Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul on Aug. 24, was the second governor to hail from the World’s Borough – the first being his father, Mario Cuomo, who served as governor from 1983 to 1994.
“New York tough means New York loving, and I love New York and I love you,” Cuomo said during his resignation speech. “Everything I have ever done has been motivated by that love and I would never want to be unhelpful in any way.”
With Cuomo’s resignation, Hochul will become the first woman to serve as governor in the state’s history.
“I agree with Governor Cuomo's decision to step down. It is the right thing to do and in the best interest of New Yorkers,” Hochul said in a statement. “As someone who has served at all levels of government and is next in the line of succession, I am prepared to lead as New York State’s 57th Governor.”
Scores of elected officials from Queens and around the state and country have called on Cuomo to resign beginning in March of this year, when the allegations against him first became public. The calls for resignation – and impeachment – have only increased in the past week following the release of James’ report.
“Today closes a sad chapter for all of New York, but it’s an important step towards justice,” James said in a statement Tuesday. “I thank Governor Cuomo for his contributions to our state. The ascension of our Lieutenant Governor, Kathy Hochul, will help New York enter a new day...I know our state is in good hands with Lieutenant Governor Hochul at the helm, and I look forward to continuing to work with her.”
New York State Attorney General Letitia James, center, speaks at a press conference, Tuesday, Aug. 3, 2021, in New York alongside attorneys Joon Kim, right, and Anne L. Clark to announce the publishing of a report detailing allegations that Gov. Cuomo sexually harassed 11 women. AP photo by Ted Shaffrey
The AG’s report details the ways in which the governor allegedly sexually harassed 11 women while in office, including named accusers Lindsay Boylan, Charlotte Bennett and others who say that Cuomo repeatedly asked them questions about their sex lives and occasionally expressed his own sexual desires to them.
Among the most serious allegations include those made by Brittany Commisso, who said Cuomo groped her inside the governor’s mansion. Commisso filed a criminal complaint with Albany County Sheriff against the governor last week.
Cuomo has repeatedly denied all allegations against him but apologized for offending the women who made allegations in the report.
His resignation was preceded by a 45 minute rebuttal of the report laid out by his personal attorney Rita Glavin. It was one of several public denunciations of the report the governor’s office has made in the past week.
Prior to announcing his resignation, Cuomo said that he “takes full responsibility” for his actions but added that in his mind, he “never crossed the line with anyone.”
“I have been too familiar with people, my sense of humor can be insensitive and off putting, I hug and kiss women casually, women and men,” he said. “There is a difference between alleged improper conduct and concluding sexual harassment...Now don’t get me wrong, this is not to say there aren’t 11 women who I truley offended and for that, I deeply, deeply apologize.”
Prior to his resignation, Cuomo faced the very real prospect of impeachment. The State Assembly’s Judiciary Committee met Monday to discuss the AG’s report and were prepared to move forward with impeachment proceedings, according to Queens Assemblymember and committee member David Weprin.
Weprin refrained from calling on the governor to resign following the publishing of the report last week, citing his position on the committee.
On Tuesday, he told the Eagle that he thought Cuomo “did the right thing,” and that the resignation could save the state time and money that would otherwise be spent on impeachment.
“I would recommend not going ahead with the impeachment – I wouldn’t see the benefit,” Weprin said. “Why would we want to spend state resources to continue the investigation when he’s already out of office?”
“If there are any charges that are still out there, they should be dealt with by the various prosecutors,” he added.
The judiciary committee will meet on Monday, Aug. 16, to discuss the legislature’s options going forward in light of Cuomo’s resignation, according to Weprin.
While he no longer thinks it’s a possibility, Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani said that impeachment would have been preferable to the governor stepping out of office on his own terms.
“It’s important to make clear that the reason impeachment is the better avenue for justice is because it would bring forward true accountability,” Mamdani told the Eagle. “What an impeachment trial would have done was showcase the actual, varied instances of the governor’s abuse of office...Some people might see this as the closing of a story chapter in New York State but we can not truly close this chapter until we bring forth the ways in which the governor abused his power.”
Assemblymember Nily Rozic also said that she hopes Cuomo is held accountable beyond his resignation.
“New Yorker’s deserve a Governor who embodies the values of our state,” Rozic said. “It has been abundantly clear that Governor Cuomo is unfit to hold the position and his resignation will allow us to finally move forward. It is my hope that investigations into his conduct continue and that his many victims receive the justice and peace of mind they deserve.”
Queens Borough President Donovan Richards offered the borough’s support to the 11 women who came forward, adding that the state was made “better” by their decision to do so.
“Today is a sad day for New York, but I am confident we can get back to work,” Richards said. “I am ready to collaborate with our State’s first female Governor, Kathy Hochul.”
Rep. Grace Meng, who last week called for the state to move forward with impeachment should the governor stay in office, celebrated the announcement Tuesday.
“I've joined others in calling on Andrew Cuomo to resign for months in light of the allegations against him, and I'm glad he's finally heeded our calls,” she said.
State Senator Michael Gianaris looked to the future after Cuomo’s speech, saying that the state government must continue addressing New York’s “recovery from the coronavirus pandemic, help those who have been left behind and create a more equitable society.”
“Today is a sad but necessary day in our state’s history,” Gianaris said. “The Governor’s resignation is an important step in the process of ensuring accountability and acknowledging the harm done by his behavior. I thank the women who came forward with such courage to have their voices heard and help make New York a safer, fairer place.”
Mayor Bill de Blasio, who is on vacation out of the state this week, was one of the first to call for the governor to step down when allegations became public earlier this year.
“Make no mistake, this is the result of survivors bravely telling their stories,” de Blasio said on Tuesday. “It was past time for Andrew Cuomo to resign and it’s for the good of all New York.”
