OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
New York Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik is calling for disgraced New York Democrat Gov. Andrew Cuomo to be arrested.
Cuomo announced on Tuesday afternoon that he is resigning from office after several women have accused him of sexual misconduct.
In a scathing press release, Stefanik said that “no one is above the law” and that Cuomo “must resign and be arrested immediately.”
“New Yorkers have lived for far too long under the Worst Governor in America’s corrupt and criminal tenure,” said Stefanik.
“This resignation is long past overdue. Governor Cuomo needs to be arrested and prosecuted for sexual harassment, sexual assault, and sexual abuse. Governor Cuomo also needs to be arrested and prosecuted for his criminal acts covering up the tragic deaths of our most vulnerable seniors in nursing homes,” she added.
“In addition, Governor Cuomo and his staff, funded by the taxpayers, must be prosecuted for illegally using state resources to negotiate a multimillion-dollar book deal. There are multiple federal and state laws that the Governor and his staff have broken, and they need to be held accountable. Every New Yorker must know that there is equal justice under the law – no matter if you are the most powerful figure in New York or an everyday New Yorker,” she continued.
“The systemic culture of criminal corruption, political vengeance, and illegal retaliation under Andrew Cuomo was brushed under the rug for years by Democrats, the media, and the cesspool of Albany. It is a disgraceful chapter in New York’s history,” Stefanik said.
“The next Governor Kathy Hochul must purge Cuomo’s abusive, corrupt, and criminal political appointees immediately to clean house for the sake of every New Yorker,” she concluded.
Albany County Sheriff Craig Apple recently announced that a criminal investigation is underway into allegations that Cuomo groped an aide.
Apple said his investigation is in the “infant stages,” according to Fox News.
“I cannot get into the nature of her specific allegations at this time, obviously. We’re at the very infant stages of this investigation,” Apple said.
“We have a lot of fact-finding to do. We have a lot of interviews to conduct. And it would be totally premature for me to comment on any of that,” he added.
Apple said he “received a call from a local attorney” who “indicated that he had a female client who wished to come forward and file an allegation of criminal conduct against the governor.”
“I’m not going to rush it because of who he is, and I’m not going to delay it because of who he is,” Apple said.
Apple referred to the aide and others named in the report as “victims.”
“They’ve been through a rough period of time. The last thing I want to do is continue to re-victimize. Every time their faces pop up on TV, or their names are mentioned on TV or on radio, it does in fact put more stressors on them,” Apple said.
Apple said he is unsure what charges might result.
“What I have read so far I can say that, you know, we’re floating around a misdemeanor, but again, that’s just from the attorney general’s report,” he said.
New York Attorney General Letitia James announced last week that an independent investigation into Cuomo found that he sexually harassed multiple women in violation of federal and state law.
After the release of the report, Cuomo denied the allegations.
