New York, EE.UU.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, who was accused of sexual harassment and inappropriate behavior by several women, refused to resign again on Friday, despite a growing number of Democratic lawmakers calling for his resignation.
“I will not resign,” insisted Cuomo in a press conference, asking again to await the outcome of the attorney general’s investigation into the charges. “I haven’t done the things they accuse me of, period,” he added.
A few hours later, however, calls for his resignation multiplied. Powerful Senate Democrats chairman Chuck Schumer, elected by New York State, estimated Cuomo “was losing the trust of his government partners and New Yorkers,” so he must resign, according to a statement. another senator, Kirsten Gillibrand.
Cuomo suggested that he is a victim of the “culture of cancellation,” the emerging culture war in the United States, which is sparking controversy over the measures to be taken to address discrimination against racial, ethnic or sexual minorities.
“Political figures take sides for a variety of reasons, including political opportunism or to give in to pressure. But people know how to differentiate between the political game, the ‘cancel culture’ and reality,” said Cuomo.
– Dismissal procedure
Since February, six women have accused the 63-year-old Democratic governor of sexual harassment or inappropriate behavior, spent ten years in office and considered a hero in the fight against the 2020 pandemic.
On Friday, the testimonies of two other women came to light,
One of them is a former journalist who covered the governor’s tenure between 2012 and 2014 who said she was humiliated by Cuomo. The other, identified only by her first name (Kaitlin), told New York Magazine her displeasure with the governor’s behavior.
Unlike other men – Donald Trump is a notorious exception – who has had to step down since the #MeToo movement began in late 2017 after being charged with sexual harassment or assault, sometimes without prior investigation, Cuomo is sticking to his position.
But the pressure to step down continues to mount after the accusation that was announced on Wednesday and turns out to be the most serious: an employee who remains anonymous says Cuomo reached under her blouse and “ aggressively ” touched her at the end.
About 60 New York State lawmakers are now calling for his resignation, and on Thursday they took a first step toward impeachment: the House Judiciary Committee was given the green light to launch an investigation that will decide whether to continue the proceedings.
Last Friday, influential representatives of the federal congress joined the request for resignation, including the young Democratic left-wing star Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (known as AOC) and the highly experienced Jerry Nadler.
The complaint “is concerning the safety and immediate well-being of the governor’s staff,” who “can no longer lead effectively in the face of all these challenges,” AOC said in a joint statement with another New York colleague, Jamaal. Bowman.
He has “lost the confidence of New Yorkers” and “must step down,” said Nadler.
It is not known when the investigations will be completed.
“No one more than me wants them to be done exhaustively and quickly,” said Cuomo, whose term ends in 2022.
If the pressure continues and the governor retains his post, only an impeachment lawsuit can remove him from power.
This procedure, unprecedented since 1913 in New York State, requires a simple majority in the lower house of the state legislature and two-thirds in the upper house.