NEW YORK – Ten members of New York’s Democratic congressional delegation, including top-ranking U.S. Reps. Jerry Nadler and Carolyn Maloney, called on Gov. Andrew Cuomo to resign on Friday over allegations that he sexually harassed six women.
Nadler and Maloney, who respectively chair the powerful House Judiciary and Oversight Committees, kicked off the pile-on of resignation demands by issuing withering statements ripping Cuomo for both his alleged actions and his response once the claims became public.
“The repeated accusations against the governor, and the manner in which he has responded to them, have made it impossible for him to continue to govern at this point,” Nadler said.
Giving a shout-out to the state Senate leader who has also called on Cuomo to step down, Maloney chimed in: “I join with Majority Leader Andrea Stewart Cousins, my colleagues, and others who have called on Governor Cuomo to resign in the best interest of all New Yorkers.”
The back-to-back announcements from Nadler and Maloney opened up the floodgates.
U.S. Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Jamaal Bowman followed suit within minutes and said it’s not just the sexual harassment claims that justify Cuomo’s resignation.
“Unfortunately, the governor is not only facing the accusation that he engaged in a pattern of sexual harassment and assault. There is also the extensive report from the Attorney General that found the Cuomo administration hid data on COVID-19 nursing home deaths from both the public and the state legislature,” Ocasio-Cortez and Bowman said in a joint statement. “Governor Cuomo can no longer effectively lead in the face of so many challenges.”
Reps. Nydia Velazquez, Grace Meng, Mondaire Jones and Adriano Espaillat also joined in, issuing individual statements calling for Cuomo to go.
“There is only way the governor can truly restore accountability and confidence to his office: He must resign,” Velazquez said.
Rep. Kathleen Rice, a Democrat who represents parts of Long Island, called on Cuomo to step down already on March 1 after his third accuser came forward with claims that he sexually harassed her.
A spokesman for Cuomo did not immediately return a request for comment.
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(With Denis Slattery)
