New York Gov. Cuomo set to face impeachment on charges of sexual abuse

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has been given a deadline of Aug. 13 by state lawmakers to provide “additional evidence” in his defense as the State Assembly heads toward a foreseeable impeachment.

The State Assembly's judiciary committee has since March been investigating the allegations of sexual harassment, misleading the public about COVID-19 outbreaks at nursing homes and using state resources for his lucrative $5 million book deal to see if there are grounds for Cuomo’s impeachment.

The law firm leading the investigation, Davis Polk & Wardwell, in a letter on Thursday reminded the three-term Democrat governor's legal team that it has subpoenaed certain documents and expects “full compliance from the governor,” while adding that his time to respond was almost over.

“We write to inform you that the Committee's investigation is nearing completion and the Assembly will soon consider potential articles of impeachment against your client,” the firm wrote. “Accordingly, we invite you to provide any additional evidence or written submissions that you would like the Committee to consider before its work concludes.”

The letter was released publicly by Committee chairman Charles Lavine, a Democrat from Long Island. He said the Assembly would soon consider “potential articles of impeachment” against the governor, adding that the investigation was “nearing completion.”

The move by lawmakers to impeach the governor came after a report from the New York attorney general’s office this week concluded that Cuomo had sexually harassed nearly a dozen women.

Hours after the report was released on Tuesday, New York Assembly Democrats held an emergency video meeting. While some members insisted on the investigation to be more thorough, most of the lawmakers were in favor of drafting articles of impeachment based on the findings of the attorney general’s report.

Charges against NYC governor

Governor Andrew Cuomo, who has attracted many controversies in the past, finds himself at the center of the storm again. He faces multiple claims of sexual harassment. 

At least 11 women, including current and former members of his administration, have made the unflattering accusations, with calls growing for his resignation or impeachment.  

Democratic governors urge Cuomo to resign

A number of Democratic governors have joined the chorus from both parties to call on New York Governor Andrew Cuomo to resign after a report by state attorney general revealed that the Democratic governor had sexually harassed 11 women.

An inquiry overseen by the New York State attorney general found that the governor had harassed the women, including current and former government employees, flouting state and federal laws. He also retaliated against at least one woman who made her complaints public, the report noted.

The Cuomo administration is also facing heat for undercounting the number of nursing-home deaths caused by Covid-19 in the first half of 2020, when the state was in the grip of the pandemic.

While senior health officials have resigned in response to the governor’s overall handling of the pandemic, including the vaccine rollout, Cuomo himself has refused to budge.

Impeachment move gains pace

Whether the long-time Democrat will be impeached or not is a matter of speculation. The State Assembly of New York opened an impeachment investigation in the case in March. 

But, after the release of the attorney general’s report this week, the impeachment proceedings are expected to pick up. Democrats in the State Legislature and New York’s congressional delegation, as well as President Joe Biden, have called on Cuomo to resign.

“This is enough for an expeditious, if not immediate, impeachment,” Charles Barron, a lawmaker from Brooklyn, was quoted as saying in the New York Times. “We need to do immediate impeachment because anything short of that and we are going to look like we are buying time for the governor.”

Cuomo could be impeached with a simple majority vote, which will then be followed by a trial in the State Senate, where Democrats hold the majority.

If convicted, the New York governor would be removed from office and potentially barred permanently from seeking political office in the state. He would be replaced by the lieutenant governor, Kathy Hochul, as the governor.

In addition to the impeachment inquiry and calls to resignation, Cuomo also faces the threat of criminal investigations. Prosecutors in Manhattan and Albany have already opened criminal investigations into his behavior, and prosecutors in Westchester, Nassau and Oswego Counties asked the attorney general’s office for investigative materials, according to the New York Times.

The governor has not made a public appearance since Tuesday but his lawyer Rita Glavin posted a detailed response on Cuomo’s website, calling the attorney general’s investigators “utterly biased” and the report “unfair” and “inaccurate.”

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