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New York Dems Draw Up Articles Of Impeachment For Governor Cuomo

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OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.


New York Democrat Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced on Tuesday that he will not resign from his office.

New York Attorney General Letitia James announced on Tuesday that an independent investigation into Cuomo found that he sexually harassed multiple women in violation of federal and state law.

“For over three months, Executive Assistant #1 kept this groping incident to herself and planned to take it “to the grave,”4 but found herself becoming emotional (in a way that was visible to her colleagues in the Executive Chamber) while watching the Governor state, at a press conference on March 3, 2021, that he had never ‘touched anyone inappropriately’ She then confided in certain of her colleagues, who in turn reported her allegations to senior staff in the Executive Chamber,” the report said.

Assembly Member Yuh-Line Niou says she has drafted articles of impeachment against Cuomo.

She said she’s had impeachment articles drafted for a long time.

“I had them drafted yesterday,” Niou said. “I had them drafted months ago.”

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“These women were just trying to go through a day doing their jobs,” Niou added. “They never asked to be abused or harassed.”

“It took 179 witnesses and a statewide investigation by the Attorney General to hold one powerful man accountable — tell me again that New York doesn’t have a power problem,” Niou said.

Democrat New York Speaker of the House Carl Heastie seemed to suggest he would support impeachment.

“After our conference this afternoon to discuss the Attorney General’s report concerning sexual harassment allegations against Governor Cuomo, it is abundantly clear to me that the Governor has lost the confidence of the Assembly Democratic majority and that he can no longer remain in office,” Heastie said.

“Once we receive all relevant documents and evidence from the Attorney General, we will move expeditiously and look to conclude our impeachment investigation as quickly as possible,” he added.

After the release of the report on Tuesday, Cuomo denied the allegations.

“There is another complaint I want to address from a woman in my office who said that I groped her in my home office. Let me be clear: That never happened,” Cuomo said.

“She wants anonymity, and I respect that. So I am limited about what I can say, but her lawyer has suggested that she will file a legal claim for damages. That will be decided in a court of law. Trial by newspaper or biased reviews are not the way to find the facts in this matter,” he added.

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Cuomo said: “I welcome the opportunity for a full and fair review before a judge and a jury. Because this just did not happen. Other complaints raised against me questions that have sought to unfairly characterize and weaponize everyday interactions that I’ve had with any number of New Yorkers.”

“My attorney, who is a nonpolitical former federal prosecutor, has done a response to each allegation, and the facts are much different than what has been portrayed. That document is available on my website. If you are interested, please take the time to read the facts and decide for yourself. First, I want you to know directly from me that I never touched anyone inappropriately or made inappropriate sexual advances,” he said.

WATCH:

Democrat Senate Majority Leader Andrew Stewart-Cousins said that Gov. Cuomo should resign for “the good of the state.”