ALBANY, N.Y. – At least 11 Democratic members of New York’s congressional delegation are now calling for Gov. Andrew Cuomo to step down amid ongoing sexual misconduct and COVID-19 scandals that have engulfed him and his administration.
In what appeared to be a unified effort, 10 congressional representatives from New York issued statements calling for Cuomo’s resignation within minutes of each other Friday morning, citing numerous misconduct allegations and his administration’s efforts to hide the true COVID-19 death toll in nursing homes.
The lawmakers — including Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Jerry Nadler, Jamaal Bowman, Antonio Delgado and Mondaire Jones — joined Long Island Rep. Kathleen Rice, a Democrat who issued her call for Cuomo’s resignation last week.
“For the good of our state and everyone who calls it home, I urge Governor Cuomo to resign,” Jones said in a statement.
Cuomo, a Democrat, is facing actions of sexual misconduct, harassment or otherwise inappropriate behavior by six women, including five who worked for him.
The most damning accusation came to light Wednesday, when the Times Union of Albany reported a female aide claims Cuomo reached under her blouse and groped her after she was summoned to his private residence at the Executive Mansion in Albany.
Cuomo has denied ever touching anyone inappropriately, including the alleged incident at the mansion. He has refused calls to resign, instead urging New Yorkers to allow an investigation led by Attorney General Letitia James’ office to move forward unimpeded.
On Thursday, the state Assembly launched what it is calling an impeachment investigation, giving its Judiciary Committee impeachment power to probe Cuomo’s office and help determine whether his removal from office is appropriate.
Nineteen of New York’s 27 congressional representatives are Democrats.
Of those, the Democratic federal lawmakers issuing calls for Cuomo’s resignation so far are:
- Rep. Kathleen Rice
- Rep. Yvette Clarke
- Rep. Antonio Delgado
- Rep. Mondaire Jones
- Rep. Carolyn Maloney
- Rep. Adriano Espaillat
- Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
- Rep. Grace Meng
- Rep. Nydia Velazquez
- Rep. Jerry Nadler
- Rep. Jamaal Bowman
In his statement, Nadler, a longtime lawmaker who has known Cuomo for decades, said the governor is “guaranteed due process under law.” But he said the question of whether Cuomo should resign is a “political judgment” that is a “question of confidence in our political leadership.”
“Governor Cuomo has lost the confidence of the people of New York,” Nadler said. “Governor Cuomo must resign.”
Jon Campbell is a New York state government reporter for the USA TODAY Network. He can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter at @JonCampbellGAN.