ALBANY (WCBS 880) — Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Wednesday, in his first public remarks since three women came forward to accuse him of sexual harassment, said he was "embarrassed" by the allegations and apologized for his behavior, but told reporters that he intends to stay in office, despite growing calls for his resignation.
After providing an update on the state's COVID-19 response, the governor broke his silence on the sexual harassment scandal and addressed the allegations directly:
"As you probably know, the attorney general is doing an independent review, and I will fully cooperate with that review. Now, the lawyers say I shouldn’t say anything when you have a pending review until that review is over. I understand that, I’m a lawyer, too. But, I want New Yorkers to hear from me directly on this.
"First, I fully support a woman’s right to come forward and I think it should be encouraged in every way. I now understand that I acted in a way that made people feel uncomfortable. It was unintentional and I truly and deeply apologize for it. I feel awful about it, and frankly, I am embarrassed by it. And that’s not easy to say, but that’s the truth. But this is what I want you to know, and I want you to know this from me directly, I never touched anyone inappropriately. I never knew at the time I was making anyone feel uncomfortable and I certainly never, ever meant to offend anyone or hurt anyone or cause anyone any pain. That is the last thing I would ever want to do.
"I ask the people of this state to wait for the facts from the attorney general’s report before forming an opinion. Get the facts, please, before forming an opinion. And the attorney general is doing that review, I will fully cooperate with it, and then you will have the facts and make a decision when you know the facts.
"I also want you to know that I have learned from what has been an incredibly difficult situation for me, as well as other people, and I’ve learned an important lesson. I’m sorry, I’m sorry for whatever pain I caused anyone, I never intended it, and I will be the better for this experience."
The governor then took questions from the media, which he has not done since Feb. 22, which is an unusually long gap for Cuomo whose daily updates on the coronavirus pandemic were once a must-see on TV. His appearances even won him an Emmy award.
Asked whether he will step down as he faces calls for resignations, even from some members of his own party, the governor said he intends to remain in office.
"I wasn't elected by politicians, I was elected by the people of the state of New York. I'm not going to resign. I work for the people of the state of New York. They elected me and I'm going to serve the people of the state of New York and by the way we have a full plate — we have COVID, we have recovery, we have rebuilding, we have a teetering New York City, we have a terrible financial picture, we have to do vaccines, so no. I'm going to do the job the people of the state elected me to do," the governor said.
His public appearance on Wednesday comes as the governor continues to face criticism for allegedly sexually harassing two former staffers and a woman whom he met at a wedding reception in September 2019.
Since the allegations have been made public, Cuomo acknowledged in an earlier statement that some things he has said in the past “have been misinterpreted as an unwanted flirtation.”
Though, the apology was slammed as “tone-deaf” by one accuser and blasted by New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, who has called for a full investigation into the allegations.
New York Attorney General Letitia James has already confirmed her office will be investigating the accusations made against the governor. Cuomo, on Sunday, said he supports the investigation.
The governor is also facing investigations into his administration's handling of COVID-19 in state-run nursing homes.
Meanwhile, state lawmakers have announced that they will vote soon to strip Cuomo of his extended executive powers granted to him at the beginning of the pandemic.
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