Albany, NY (WBEN) Assembly Republican Leader Will Barclay announces a resolution will be introduced to impeach Governor Cuomo. Barclay says Cuomo has lost credibility and trust to govern the state in light of several bombshells.
"In order to lead this great state as governor, you need to have credibility and trust. Unfortunately, we feel the governor has lost that, and now has lost the ability to lead," says Barclay at a Monday news conference. "We're introducing this because the time has come."
Barclay says he hasn't used the word bombshell more often than he did this past weekend. Two more women claimed Cuomo sexually harassed them, bring the total to five. He also brought up investigations into allegations the Cuomo administration falsified numbers of nursing home deaths as a result of COVID.
Barclay went back to the 1970s as to why he's moving forward. "During the Watergate years, a bipartisan group of legislators went to see President Nixon, and told him if the didn't resign, they'd commence impeachment proceedings. (Sunday) Governor Cuomo, said i'm not resigning and if you want to get rid of me, impeach me. We think now is the time to act, now is the time to commence impeachment," says Barclay.
Barclay admits he won't be able to force a vote, but he wants to continue putting pressure on the Democrats. "They already have 30 members looking for the governor to resign. You have both the speaker and majority leader, how are they going to go in and negotiate a budget when two of the three people in that room think the third should resign," ponders Barclay.
Barclay says an impeachment commission was opened up last week to investigate the nursing home coverup, and now will look into the sexual harassment allegations as well. "After this weekend it became more apparent, the real problem now is the governor has lost so much trust he cannot govern," says Barclay.
Barclay says if the Assembly votes to impeach Cuomo, the governor will have to resign as a state Senate trial begins.
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