NEW YORK (1010 WINS) – Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand and New York State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli on Friday joined dozens of New York lawmakers calling on Gov. Andrew Cuomo to resign amid mounting allegations of sexual misconduct.
In a joint statement released Friday evening, Gillibrand and Schumer said the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic "requires sure and steady leadership."
“We commend the brave actions of the individuals who have come forward with serious allegations of abuse and misconduct," they said. "Due to the multiple credible sexual harassment and misconduct allegations, it is clear that Governor Cuomo has lost the confidence of his governing partners and the people of New York. Governor Cuomo should resign.”
DiNapoli, meanwhile, called the allegations "extremely disturbing," adding that they were "impairing Governor Cuomo’s ability to lead, as our state struggles through a crisis and must make critical budget decisions."
"It is time for him to step down," he said.
In a string of statements released earlier in the day on Friday, several U.S. representatives joined dozens of lawmakers in Albany in calling for Cuomo’s resignation.
"Governor Cuomo has lost the confidence of the people of New York," said Rep. Jerry Nadler, who is chair of the House Judiciary Committee. "Governor Cuomo must resign."
In addition to Nadler, Maloney and Ocasio-Cortez, Reps. Mondaire Jones, Jamaal Bowman, Nydia Velazquez, Adriano Espaillat, Yvette Clarke, Grace Meng, Antonio Delgado, Brian Higgins, Sean Maloney and Paul Tonko called on Cuomo to resign.
Democratic Rep. Kathleen Rice had previously called for the governor to resign on March 1.
Rep Hakeem Jeffries on Friday did not call for the governor’s resignation, but did call the allegations he is facing “very serious and deeply disturbing.”
“The Assembly Majority… made the right decision to open an impeachment investigation, which could ultimately lead to the Governor’s removal from office,” he said in a statement. “Under these extraordinary circumstances, the Governor must seriously consider whether he can continue to effectively lead the state. No one is above the law.”
Other Republicans in New York’s congressional delegation had already called for Cuomo’s resignation, including Nicole Malliotakis, Elise Stefanik, Claudia Tenney and Lee Zeldin.
In their statements, some of the Democratic representatives also mentioned accusations that Cuomo's administration withheld data on COVID-19 nursing home deaths.
“Unfortunately, the Governor is not only facing the accusation that he engaged in a pattern of sexual harassment and assault,” Ocasio-Cortez and Bowman said in a joint statement. “There is also the extensive report from the Attorney General that found the Cuomo administration hid data on COVID-19 nursing home deaths from both the public and the state legislature.”
Mayor Bill de Blasio on Friday also explicitly said for the first time that Cuomo must step down. "Unfortunately what we're seeing here is a pattern of coverup and a pattern of lies," the mayor said. "It is unacceptable. The governor must resign. He can no longer do the job."
The calls for Cuomo's resignation come amid allegations of sexual harassment and an allegation of groping. Cuomo has denied ever touching anyone inappropriately but has said he apologizes if he ever made anyone uncomfortable.
Cuomo on Friday afternoon continued to maintain he would not resign because of the allegations. He has urged people to wait for the findings of an investigation overseen by state Attorney General Letitia James.
"I did not do what has been alleged, period," Cuomo told reporters on a Friday afternoon phone call.
The top Democrat in the state Assembly, Speaker Carl Heastie, on Thursday backed a plan for its judiciary committee to launch an impeachment investigation into Cuomo. Earlier this week, Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins called for Cuomo to resign.
Over 120 members of the state Assembly and Senate, including both Democrats and Republicans, have called for the governor to step down, according to the Associated Press.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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