New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo again refused to resign on Friday, as pressure mounted from state and congressional Democrats in the wake of a sixth sexual harassment allegation.
What they’re saying: “I did not do what has been alleged. Period,” Cuomo said, stressing that New Yorkers and politicians calling for his resignation should wait for the results of the independent investigation overseen by the New York attorney general.
- “I won’t speculate about people’s possible motives, but I can tell you, as a former attorney general who has gone through this situation many times, there are often many motivations for making an allegation,” he continued.
- “How do you come to a conclusion before the facts?” Cuomo said when asked about the Democrats who called for his resignation on Friday. “I was attorney general … A lot of people allege a lot of things, for a lot of reasons.”
Driving the news: 12 House Democrats from New York — including the chairs of the powerful Oversight Committee and Judiciary Committee — issued statements within minutes of each other on Friday calling for Cuomo to resign.
Why it matters: The pressure is now coming from Congress. With Friday’s announcement, nearly three-quarters of New York’s delegation is calling on the governor to resign. Rep. Kathleen Rice called for Cuomo to step down on March 1 after a third accuser came forward.
The full list includes:
- Rep. Kathleen Rice
- House Judiciary chair Jerry Nadler
- House Oversight chair Carolyn Maloney
- Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
- Rep. Jamal Bowman
- Rep. Mondaire Jones
- Rep. Grace Meng
- Rep. Yvette Clark
- Rep. Adriano Espaillat
- Rep. Nydia Velasquez
- Rep. Anthony Delgado
- Rep. Brian Higgins
- Rep. Sean Maloney
Between the lines: As of 11:40 a.m., six Democratic members of the New York delegation had not appeared to join Friday’s coordinated campaign — Reps. Hakeem Jeffries, Gregory Meeks, Tom Suozzi, Ritchie Torres, Paul Tonko and Joe Morelle.
The big picture: The statements come one day after New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and 59 New York state lawmakers called for Cuomo to resign.
- New York State Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie has authorized an impeachment investigation into Cuomo. 47 state senators have said Cuomo should step aside, more than the 46 needed to convict the governor if he’s impeached by the Assembly.
- The governor is also facing an independent inquiry from the New York attorney general and a police inquiry in Albany.
