Andrew Cuomo should still be impeached despite his resignation, a New York assembly member has argued, as part of a campaign to deny him his $50,000-a-year pension and prevent him from running for office ever again.
Cuomo, 63, stepped down on Tuesday as governor of New York, bringing an end to a 40-year political career that made him a pandemic hero but that now lies in ruins.
His fate was sealed with a damning report by Attorney General Letitia James, published a week ago, which labeled him a serial sexual harasser.
The soon to be former governor still faces criminal investigations and at least one lawsuit, and Carl Heastie, the speaker of the assembly, is yet to say whether impeachment proceedings will continue after he steps down.
There is nothing to stop Cuomo pardoning himself preemptively against future criminal charges, said Andrew McCarthy, who served as assistant U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York. But he told Fox News that Cuomo was unlikely to do so, because it would mean him admitting that he was criminally responsible - which he denies.
Yuh-Line Niou, a Democrat representing lower Manhattan, said on Tuesday that the impeachment should continue.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo walks with his daughter Michaela, 23, to a helicopter shortly after announcing his resignation on Tuesday, a week after being dubbed a serial sexual harasser by AG Letitia James
Yuh-Line Niou has called for Cuomo to be stripped of his $50,000-a-year state pension
'Even as he announced his resignation, Governor Cuomo continued to gaslight the women he harassed and the people of New York,' she said on Twitter.
'Our state now begins an important healing process and that means accepting that Albany's toxic culture of abuse and harassment will not end simply because Governor Cuomo is gone.
'We must remember that the governor's misuse of office extends far beyond the women he victimized. It extends to the millions he made using our tax dollars on a book deal in total mockery of state ethics laws. It extends to the victims of COVID-19 whose deaths he concealed from state lawmakers. This is a pattern of his abuse of power and impeachment is an appropriate and necessary step.
'Impeachment means New York will not be paying Andrew Cuomo's pension for the rest of his life after disgusting abuses of power.
'Impeachment means Governor Cuomo will not be able to run for office again by claiming to be the victim and gaslighting the true victims.
'Resignation is not the solution, it is a long overdue first step,' she said.
Many political pundits speculated on Tuesday that Cuomo's resignation was his way of leaving the door open for a political comeback.
Were he to be impeached, he would be barred from holding office for the rest of his life.
Cuomo spoke from New York City. He has been hiding out in Albany since last week, when the Attorney General's report was released
Impeachment would not deprive him of his hefty government pension - but two state politicians, Assemblyman Angelo Santabarbara and Senator James Skoufis, say they plan to introduce a bill that would strip state pensions from anyone impeached by the state legislature. The bill would apply retroactively.
That bill was introduced on August 6, but making this a reality would be a multi-year process.
Cuomo, the highest paid governor in American history, earns $225,000 a year - dwarfing the salary of the governor of Maine, the lowest paid in the nation, who earns $70,000 a year.
The Empire Center estimates that Cuomo's pension would be $50,000 a year
His pension pot is unclear: he has been governor since 2011, and before that spent four years as New York's attorney general.
The Empire Center, an Albany-based think tank, calculates that he will claim at least $50,000 a year.
He will also receive a federal pension from his 1997-2001 stint as Bill Clinton's housing secretary.
Cuomo's predecessor George Pataki, who was governor from 1995-2006, receives an annual pension of $103,036, according to WKBW Buffalo.
He would be stripped of his pension if he was a convicted felon.
Cuomo will also, when he steps down, lose his home.
He has lived in the Governor's Mansion in Albany full time since he and his ex-girlfriend Sandra Lee split up in early 2019, after 14 years together.
Cuomo, 63, and Lee, 54, lived together in Mount Kisco in a house that she bought in 2008, she told People.
She sold the four bedroom lakeside property on December 23, 2020, for $1.85 million.
She has since relocated to Malibu, and is currently in St Tropez with her new boyfriend, Algerian-born, LA-based actor Ben Yousef, 42.
Cuomo is not thought to own any property himself.
His brother Chris, a $5 million-a-year CNN anchor, spends much of his time at his house in the Hamptons.
Speaking on Tuesday morning in New York City, Cuomo insisted he is innocent and has never groped anyone, but is stepping aside in the interest of the people so government can focus on COVID.
In a 20-minute speech, he addressed his three daughters, calling them his 'jewels' and saying he had 'made mistakes and learned from them', but insisting he was not the serial abuser the report made him out to be.
After the speech, he was seen leaving New York City with two of his daughters, Mariah and Michaela, and his loyal aide Melissa DeRosa, who quit on Sunday.
Cuomo addressed his three adult daughters, calling them his 'jewels'. 'Your dad made mistakes and he apologized and he learned from it. That's what life is all about,' he said. Cara, right, was not with him
In his message to his daughters, Cuomo said: 'In many ways I see the world through the eyes of my daughters, Cara, Mariah and Michaela. They are 26 and 26, twins, and 23.
'I have lived this experience with and through them. I have sat on the couch with them hearing the ugly accusations for weeks. I've seen the look in their eyes and expression in their faces and it hurt.
'I want my three jewels to know this: my greatest goal is for them to have a better future than the generations of women before them.
'It is still in many ways a man's world. It always has been. We have sexism that is culturized and institutionalized.
'My daughters have more talent and natural gifts than I ever had. I want to make sure that society allows them to fly as high as their wings will carry them. There should be no assumptions, stereotypes or limitations.
'I want them to know from the bottom of my heart that I never did or would intentionally disrespect a woman or treat any woman differently than I would want them treated. And that is the God's honest truth.
'Your dad made mistakes and he apologized and he learned from it. That's what life is all about.'
President Biden, when asked about Cuomo's resignation: 'I respect the Governor's decision and I respect the decision he made'.
'Well, he's done a hell of a job. Both on everything from access to voting to infrastructure, a whole range of things. That's why it's so sad,' he said.
Scroll down for video
Michaela placed her hand on her father's back as they made their way to the helicopter, moments after his resignation
Cuomo was joined by his daughters Michaela, 23, and Mariah, 26 (center). His other 26-year-old daughter Cara was not there. Melissa DeRosa, his fiercest aide who quit on Sunday, was also with him (far left)
Cuomo was joined by his two top aides, Melissa DeRosa - who resigned on Sunday - and Stephanie Benton, who was pictured inside the Executive Mansion with him earlier this week
Stephanie Benton, another of Cuomo's aides, was with him on Tuesday too. She is shown in red, with Michaela (far left), Melissa DeRosa (far right) and Mariah, one of his other daughters (center in black floral dress)
The scene outside of Governor Cuomo's home in Albany, New York, on Tuesday
Hochul will be New York's first female governor
Biden was later taken to task on how he could say Cuomo had done a 'hell of a job' when he has been accused of misconduct.
'Should he remain as governor is one question,' said Biden.
'Women should be believed when they make accusations when they are able that on the face of them make sense and investigated, they are investigated, a judgement was made, what they said was correct. That's one thing.
'The question is did he do a good job on infrastructure?
'He did,' he said, adding that he believes 'outside of his personal behavior', Cuomo did a good job.
Among the first to dance on his political grave were his long-time foes Bill de Blasio, who he regularly sparred with during the pandemic, and Cynthia Nixon, who he beat in the 2018 Gubernatorial race.
Republicans say Cuomo's resignation shouldn't be the end and that he must now be prosecuted for any sex crimes, and criminally investigated for the nursing home scandal that many consider his worst offense.
Albany County District Attorney spokesperson Cecilia Walsh said on Tuesday that its office's investigation remains ongoing despite Cuomo's resignation.
'We will not be making a comment about the resignation at this time. Our inquiry into criminal conduct in our jurisdiction remains open and pending,' she said.
Rep. Claudia Tenney, R-N.Y said: 'The corrupt reign of King Cuomo is over at last, but the fight for justice and accountability is just beginning.
'Investigations into Cuomo’s abuse of power, corruption, and criminal misconduct must continue.
'Cuomo should be immediately prosecuted, not just for sexual harassment and assault, but also for his deadly nursing home policies and subsequent cover up.'
Janice Dean, a FOX meteorologist whose in-laws died in nursing homes with COVID, said Cuomo still had to be investigated.
Last year, his administration counted thousands of nursing home deaths as hospital deaths after he signed then rescinded an order that nursing homes had to accept COVID-positive patients.
Critics say it was a deliberate cover-up.
He says it was an innocent counting mistake.
'I want justice,' said Dean.
'I don't want this to be the end of the chapter. I want investigations to continue. I want justice for those brave women that came forward and I want justice for those who have no voice, who are in a grave right now because of his mandate.
When asked how Cuomo had performed as Governor, President Joe Biden said on Tuesday: 'Well, he's done a hell of a job. Both on everything from access to voting to infrastructure, a whole range of things. That's why it's so sad.'
Dancing on his political grave: Cuomo enemies de Blasio, Letitia James and Cynthia Nixon - who he defeated in 2018 - were among those who celebrated his downfall on Tuesday
'Don't forget the over 15,000 loved ones that deserve answers. We haven't talked about those people. It has gotten caught up in the MeToo stuff.
'It's an abuse of power. That's what this guy has been leaving with in the last two terms, the abuse of power. It's over today.
'Do not forget that he has investigations, some could turn criminal. His corruption runs deep,' Dean said on Outnumbered.
In his statement, Cuomo apologized to the women who he 'offended' and said he didn't understand how the 'line had been redrawn' by #MeToo.
Impeachment by the New York State Assembly was looking more like an inevitability for Cuomo, with 86 of the 150 members confirming last week they would vote him out - ten more than would be needed.
They were not just looking at the sexual harassment report but also claims that Cuomo used state resources to fund his book, gave his family early access to COVID tests and obscured the number of nursing home residents who died from the virus to avoid criticism after ordering thousands of them back in into homes.
'The best way I can help now is if I step aside and let government get back to governing... so therefore that is what I'll do because I work for you. Doing the right thing is doing the right thing for you,' he said.
Melissa DeRosa, one of the Governor's most loyal aides, resigned on Sunday. She was seen visiting the Governor less than 24 hours later. He thanked her in his resignation speech
Lindsey Boylan said Cuomo harassed her with inappropriate remarks then launched a smear campaign against her when she quit in 2018. Brittany Commisso says Cuomo groped her breast in his office in November 2020
Cuomo's attorney Rita Glavin spoke before him on Tuesday. She undermined some of the allegations in the AG report, saying it omits evidence
No comments:
Post a Comment