After six women brought forward sexual misconduct allegations against the New York governor, the state's assembly has authorized its judiciary committee to start an impeachment investigation against Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
According to The Guardian, the speaker of the state assembly, Carl Heastie, said that the panel investigation, which would run parallel to one being led by the state attorney general Letitia James, would be authorized to interview witnesses, evaluate evidence, and subpoena documents. He also mentioned that the reports of accusations concerning the governor are serious.
The 63-year-old New York Governor Cuomo has denied all allegations of the six women, who were mostly his former aides. The latest allegation came from an unnamed aide who shared to a newspaper outlet on Tuesday that the governor had groped her after calling her to the executive mansion last year under the pretext of business.
The New York governor denied the accusation and stated that he has never done anything like that. He also called the details gut-wrenching. When asked for a comment, the representatives for Cuomo did not respond immediately.
During a news conference last week, Cuomo issued a broad apology for any behavior he displayed that made women feel uncomfortable. Despite his apologies, the New York governor maintained his statement that he had never touched anyone inappropriately.
The speaker of the state assembly, Heastie, said that he decided to launch the investigation after meeting with fellow Democrats who control the assembly. Last weekend, he also mentioned that Andrew Cuomo should seriously consider whether he can effectively meet New York's needs.
The list of politicians in New York, which includes fellow Democrats of Cuomo who has been calling for him to step down, has also been growing. On Thursday, even the mayor of New York City, Bill de Blasio, stated that Cuomo could not serve as governor anymore.
However, Cuomo has emphasized that he will not resign and has asked the public to wait for the investigation results against him before making any judgment. De Blasio, a longtime political rival of Cuomo, added that the latest accusation was disturbing, CNN reported.
In an interview, De Blasio shared to the reporters that it is unacceptable as the specific allegation stated that he called an employee, had used power over her, called her to a private place, and then sexually assaulted her. He added that it is disgusting for him, and he thinks that Cuomo cannot serve as governor anymore.
Since late February, calls for Cuomo to step down have been mounting. At that time, his first accuser, Lindsey Boylan, his former aide and currently the Manhattan borough president candidate, published an essay accusing him of making unwanted advances.
Aside from that, the New York governor has also faced accusations in recent weeks that his administration sought to downplay the number of nursing home residents killed by the coronavirus, Bloomberg reported.
Meanwhile, Andrea Stewart-Cousins, the state senate majority leader, also called on Governor Cuomo to resign. He added that Cuomo's governing style is a toxic environment, and the misconduct allegations undermined his ability to lead.
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