Once considered a must-have on any short-list of Democrat presidential contenders, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo is now the subject of a criminal complaint of sexual assault received by the Albany County Sheriff. An unnamed former aide to the governor filed the complaint on August 5. Sheriff Craig Apple said, “The end result could either be it sounds substantiated, and an arrest is made, and it would be up to the DA to prosecute the arrest.”
In an interview with the New York Post, the law enforcement official was eager to set aside the politics: “Just because of who it is, we are not going to rush it or delay it.” The complaint was filed just two days after a bombshell report and press conference by New York’s Democrat Attorney General Leticia James. The key findings of James’ report included that Cuomo sexually harassed 11 women, retaliated against those who complained and that his office didn’t report the allegations made by a woman referred to in the report as “Executive Assistant #1”.
Groped Her Breast
Executive Assistant #1 claims that Governor Cuomo grabbed her buttocks on numerous occasions, kissed her on the cheek, forehead, and lips, and made numerous sexually suggestive comments to her. Per the report:
“These offensive interactions, among others, culminated in an incident at the Executive Mansion in November 2020 when the Governor, during another close hug with Executive Assistant #1, reached under her blouse and grabbed her breast.”
(Photo by Carlo Allegri-Pool/Getty Images)
Cuomo, on Tuesday, released a pre-recorded video denying he made any inappropriate sexual advances. Instead, the Emmy Award-winning governor said cultural misunderstandings and caring too much, or that he was the victim of others, were the cause of the problems. It seems as though every prominent Democrat who has been asked about Cuomo now says he must resign. The governor’s reaction to the Attorney General’s report, however, is complete intransigence.
He Must Go?
On Friday, August 6, 41 Democrat county chairs signed a statement demanding Cuomo step down immediately, saying, “We have individually called for his resignation, and now we do so with one voice.” However, Cuomo may lose the chance to resign if he’s impeached first.
The state Assembly’s Judiciary Committee said Thursday their impeachment investigation of the three-term governor “is nearing completion,” and the panel “will soon consider potential articles of impeachment” against him.
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