NEW YORK (1010 WINS) — Two state assemblymen believe a report investigating various allegations against former Gov. Andrew Cuomo serves as grounds for his impeachment.
Assembly members earlier this week began reviewing copies of the soon-to-be-released report from its Judiciary Committee probing accusations that Cuomo sexually harassed aides, understated nursing home COVID-19 deaths and unethically used state resources for a $5 million book deal.
Queens assemblyman Ron Kim, who blew the whistle on Cuomo’s handling of nursing home deaths during the pandemic, issued a statement saying the Assembly must prepare to impeach the disgraced politician to bar him from holding office again in the state.
“As we wait for the release of the Assembly Judiciary Committee’s impeachment report, our legislative body must prepare itself for an extensive impeachment trial so we can hold Andrew Cuomo accountable for his crimes,” said Kim, a democrat vocal opponent of Cuomo, in a statement.
“We already have anecdotal corroborations that the disgraced governor broke the Public Officers Law multiple times, and therefore, we must see this report to its logical end and impeach the former governor,” Kim added.
Kim joins Democrat Phil Steck, an assembly member representing Colonie, who told The New York Times he also felt the report would justify Cuomo’s impeachment, describing the investigation as “right, just and fair.”
“When you read the report you come to the conclusion that [Cuomo] basically transformed the executive chamber to write a book for his own personal enrichment,” Steck said.
It remains to be seen if the report will change the minds of both Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie and Charles Lavine, the chair of the Judiciary Committee, who have spoken out against pursuing an impeachment.
Cuomo's attorney Rita Glavin argued the committee shouldn't release its findings before sharing all the underlying evidence with Cuomo.
The former governor’s spokesman, Richard Azzopardi, described Steck to the Times as a “longtime antagonist of this administration, and it’s the height of hypocrisy that he is holding us to one standard while he and his colleagues run for re-election with the help of legislative staffers volunteering on their own time.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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