Cuomo rejects more calls for his resignation as 7th woman accuses him of misconduct

[rooster59]

Cuomo rejects more calls for his resignation as 7th woman accuses him of misconduct

By Gabriella Borter and Joseph Ax

FILE PHOTO: Demonstrators block 3rd avenue outside the New York Governor Andrew Cuomo's office calling for his resignation, in the Manhattan borough of New York, U.S. March 10, 2021. REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton

(Reuters) - New York Governor Andrew Cuomo again insisted on Friday he would not resign while allegations of his sexual misconduct are investigated, pushing back against a chorus of fellow Democrats, including more than a dozen U.S. Representatives, who have said he should step down.

U.S. Senators Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, along with Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Jerry Nadler and several other Democratic congress members from New York, called for Cuomo to resign on Friday. Seven women, most of them former aides, have accused the governor of sexual misconduct, ranging from unwelcome flirtatious behavior at work to groping.

The seventh accuser came forward on Friday. Reporter Jessica Bakeman, writing for New York magazine, said Cuomo had often put his hands on her, including one time when taking a picture with her at a 2014 holiday party when she said he remarked, "I'm sorry. Am I making you uncomfortable? I thought we were going steady."

In a call with reporters, Cuomo, 63, repeated his denial of the allegations and said it was "reckless and dangerous" for politicians to ask him to resign before they have all the facts.

"Women have a right to come forward and be heard, and I encourage that fully. But I also want to be clear: there is still a question of the truth. I did not do what has been alleged, period," he said.

The new calls for Cuomo to resign came a day after the state legislature announced it would open an impeachment investigation into the allegations. That will run parallel to an investigation led by the office the New York State Attorney General Letitia James.

Again on Friday, Cuomo urged the public to wait for the results of these investigations before passing judgment.

"Wait for the facts. An opinion without facts is irresponsible," he said.

When asked on Friday if he ever had consensual romantic relationships with any of the women, Cuomo responded by saying only that he never intended to make anyone feel uncomfortable, and was sorry if he did.

'ALARMING' AND 'UNACCEPTABLE'

In a joint statement on Friday, the two U.S. Senators from New York, Democrats Schumer and Gillibrand, became the latest and most high-profile national politicians to call on Cuomo to resign.

"Due to the multiple, credible sexual harassment and misconduct allegations, it is clear that Governor Cuomo has lost the confidence of his governing partners and the people of New York," the statement said.

The influx of resignation calls from the senators and at least 16 of the 27 members of New York's U.S. congressional delegation have cast a long shadow over the political future of the high profile Democratic figure, who gained national prominence for his leadership during the peak of his state's COVID-19 crisis.

While 15 U.S. House members from New York issued their statements on Friday, a House aide told Reuters there was no formal, coordinated effort within the delegation to pressure Cuomo.

Cuomo's most recent accuser, the reporter Bakeman, said she believed the governor intended to humiliate her.

"I never thought the governor wanted to have sex with me. It wasn't about sex. It was about power," she wrote.

Another accuser, an unidentified aide, told The Times-Union newspaper on Tuesday that he had groped her after calling her to the executive mansion last year under the pretext of business.

"The fact that this latest report was so recent is alarming, and it raises concerns about the present safety and well-being of the administration's staff," Ocasio-Cortez said in a joint statement on Friday with U.S. Representative Jamaal Bowman.

On Thursday, more than 55 Democratic New York state legislators signed a letter calling for Cuomo's resignation.

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said on Friday that President Joe Biden "certainly supports" the state attorney general's investigation into the allegations. She added that the president and his COVID-19 response team would continue working with Cuomo on vaccination roll-out in New York.

(Reporting by Gabriella Borter and Joseph Ax; Additional reporting by Jeff Mason, David Morgan, Eric Beech and Richard Cowan in Washington, Maria Caspani in New York and Nathan Layne in Wilton, Connecticut; Editing by Dan Grebler and Daniel Wallis)

-- © Copyright Reuters 2021-03-13

 

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[Scott]

Troll post removed.

 

[Tug]

I’m in agreement with cuomo on this wait till all the facts are in they need to prove misconduct we have had enough of the enuendo attacks with trump so lady’s we are listening with open minds and hearts but in my case anyway any guy (if single) has the freedom to make a pass at the lady’s it’s what happens after that’s important imo 

[cmarshall]

Cuomo won't quit.  His skin is at least as thick Gov. Ralph Northam's of VA who also refused to resign for behavior a lot less grievous than Cuomo's.   Objections to Northam died down over time.  Cuomo will finish out his term and not run again, unless he is removed by impeachment.

[blazes]

Although I think Cuomo is a d!ckhead and needs to be exposed for what he is, I am glad he is not grovelling before all the twitterati and resigning before all these narratives can be objectively analysed.

You're innocent until proven guilty.  Distasteful as he is, perhaps his refusal to obey the baying mob will begin a reversal of the madness of modern American society, when one unproven allegation is enough to destroy a person's career.

[cmarshall]

30 minutes ago, blazes said:

Although I think Cuomo is a d!ckhead and needs to be exposed for what he is, I am glad he is not grovelling before all the twitterati and resigning before all these narratives can be objectively analysed.

You're innocent until proven guilty.  Distasteful as he is, perhaps his refusal to obey the baying mob will begin a reversal of the madness of modern American society, when one unproven allegation is enough to destroy a person's career.

Only a criminal court has any obligation to regard an accused as "Innocent until proven guilty."  No one outside the criminal justice system has any such obligation to regard Cuomo as innocent.  The criminal justice system is not in play in Cuomo's case, at least, not yet.  Hounding Cuomo out of office for misgovernment is a perfectly legitimate political option, just as hounding Nixon out of office was.  Cuomo is similarly under no obligation to accede to the calls for his resignation and I think he won't.  But since his own party has now turned against him, it looks like removal by impeachment is a real possibility.  Impeachment is a perfectly legitimate constitutional process.

Nothing that Cuomo's opponents have done is out of order in any way.

[blazes]

38 minutes ago, cmarshall said:

Only a criminal court has any obligation to regard an accused as "Innocent until proven guilty."  No one outside the criminal justice system has any such obligation to regard Cuomo as innocent.  The criminal justice system is not in play in Cuomo's case, at least, not yet.  Hounding Cuomo out of office for misgovernment is a perfectly legitimate political option, just as hounding Nixon out of office was.  Cuomo is similarly under no obligation to accede to the calls for his resignation and I think he won't.  But since his own party has now turned against him, it looks like removal by impeachment is a real possibility.  Impeachment is a perfectly legitimate constitutional process.

Nothing that Cuomo's opponents have done is out of order in any way.

I am of course aware that only the criminal courts can decide "innocence" or not, but I said "all these narratives [must] be objectively analysed."  because the principle of innocence is operative  in situations like this, not just in the criminal courts.  So, independent investigations do have the function of shedding light  (and therefore "guilt" or "innocence" in the court of public morality) on what might otherwise be simply a "he said, she said" confrontation. 

[herwin1234]

basically she says he touched her in a non sexual way he grapped her and kept her for a photo oportunity. 

o my. i shiver to think the day might come that this nonsense arrives in Thailand and ppl turn into passive  snowflakes wit

6 hours ago, Tug said:

I’m in agreement with cuomo on this wait till all the facts are in they need to prove misconduct we have had enough of the enuendo attacks with trump so lady’s we are listening with open minds and hearts but in my case anyway any guy (if single) has the freedom to make a pass at the lady’s it’s what happens after that’s important imo 

as far as i understand, the accuser says he touched her in a non sexual way, he grabbed and hold her for a photo oportunity.

i hope this whole snowflake culture, this whole pc victimhood, this automatic prejustice (females and blacks are right and white males are always wrong) will never come to thailand. 

[from the home of CC]

fairly intelligent leader but possessing an uncontrollable ego. I think he truly believes he did nothing wrong. In his mind he figured why wouldn't these women want him? The reality was a lot different though and imo he blew a chance to become president..

[cmarshall]

18 minutes ago, blazes said:

I am of course aware that only the criminal courts can decide "innocence" or not, but I said "all these narratives [must] be objectively analysed."  because the principle of innocence is operative  in situations like this, not just in the criminal courts.  So, independent investigations do have the function of shedding light  (and therefore "guilt" or "innocence" in the court of public morality) on what might otherwise be simply a "he said, she said" confrontation. 

You are confused.  The citizens of NY State have no obligation to wait for the results of any investigation to decide whether they want Cuomo to finish his term of governor or resign now just as they did not have to wait for any "objective" opinion to cast their vote for him in the last election.  They can decide on any basis including flipping a coin, that they just don't like him anymore and want him to go.  There is no presumption that a politician should be allowed to finish his term equivalent to a presumption of innocence in the courts, which is, in effect, what you are claiming.  The governor is not entitled to the continued support of the voters absent some "due process" finding otherwise.  

Similarly with respect to impeachment, the legislature has wide latitude to impeach and remove the governor.  As in the US Senate, the members of the NY State Senate together with the seven judges have no obligation to accord the governor a "presumption of right of continuance in office."  They can consider or ignore whatever evidence they wish and decide to throw him out.

In other words, neither the citizens nor the members of the legislature have any obligation to be objective.

 

 

 

[ThailandRyan]

The pressure has just barely started to get ramped up. Cuomo will find himself on the wrong side of many people as this continues unless he starts suing people for false claims and trying to show he has been above reproach.

8 hours ago, rooster59 said:

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said on Friday that President Joe Biden "certainly supports" the state attorney general's investigation into the allegations.

Doesn't take a conviction once charged to destroy his future.

[Isaan sailor]

It seems strange that the focus of this scandal comes from allegations of inappropriate behavior toward the women he worked with.  Although I agree this is serious—it seems the nursing home disaster and subsequent deaths would take precedence.

[ExpatOK]

1 hour ago, Isaan sailor said:

It seems strange that the focus of this scandal comes from allegations of inappropriate behavior toward the women he worked with.  Although I agree this is serious—it seems the nursing home disaster and subsequent deaths would take precedence.

 

Yes, and it seems like this may be cover for the nursing home deaths.

[Isaan sailor]

46 minutes ago, ExpatOK said:

 

Yes, and it seems like this may be cover for the nursing home deaths.

Strong possibility you’re right. And not just in New York—New Jersey and Michigan also have governors embroiled in the nursing home Covid scandals.

[ExpatOK]

31 minutes ago, Isaan sailor said:

Strong possibility you’re right. And not just in New York—New Jersey and Michigan also have governors embroiled in the nursing home Covid scandals.

Yes, tip of the iceberg. It's interesting some of the regular liberal posters are avoiding this one like the plague.

[ThailandRyan]

4 minutes ago, ExpatOK said:

Yes, tip of the iceberg. It's interesting some of the regular liberal posters are avoiding this one like the plague.

HaHaHaHaHa, you said plague during the pandemiic...thats a good one.

[whaleboneman]

9 hours ago, ExpatOK said:

Yes, tip of the iceberg. It's interesting some of the regular liberal posters are avoiding this one like the plague.

I have always avoided nursing homes and hospitals like the plague as that's where you're likely to catch something. 

[bbbbooboo]

hmmmm.......its only his  7th allegation. They need to suck it up ?

[cmarshall]

On 3/13/2021 at 3:53 PM, from the home of CC said:

fairly intelligent leader but possessing an uncontrollable ego. 

Intelligence is like what the English used to say about travel: it makes a good person better and a bad person worse.

[Scott]

Off-topic post and reply reported and removed.