After 11 hours of interviews, New York Attorney General Letitia James recently released a 165-page report and concluded that Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo had sexually harassed at least 11 women and retaliated against a former employee who complained.
The recorded interviews were a part of James’ investigation into multiple accusations against the governor. This is only the ‘cherry on top’ amidst a nursing home investigation, his political considerations into the vaccine distribution, and the use of state resources to write his pandemic leadership memoir. After the media spent a year adoring and praising Gov. Cuomo, they are now looking at him with more embarrassment and disgust than ever. But when is a Democrat ever held accountable for their actions?
The interview took place on Saturday, July 17, with participants being barred under state law from publicly discussing the interviews. Cuomo has repeatedly denied the accusations, even though he admits that some of his comments could’ve made women feel “uncomfortable.” During the interview process, it was reported that Cuomo even got testy with one of the lead investigators, Joon Kim, and accused him of being biased against the governor. Kim ran the U.S attorney’s office of the Southern District of New York in 2017 and 2019.
But attorney general spokesperson Delaney Kempner points out that the investigation “started at the request of the governor” and that it is being carried out by experienced and independent investigators. “The continued attempts to undermine and politicize this process are dishonest and take away from the bravery displayed by these women,” she said.
President Joe Biden told reporters back in March that he’d ask Cuomo to resign if the allegations of harassment were confirmed. He was recently asked about the released report and his stance on Cuomo.
“Yes. Let’s take one thing at a time here. I think he should resign. I understand the state legislature may decide to impeach. I don’t know that for a fact. I’m sure there were some embraces that were totally innocent, but apparently, the attorney general decided there were things that weren’t,” Biden said.
President Biden is one of the many Democrats calling on Cuomo to resign including Dem leaders Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer.
House Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand released a joint statement on the Cuomo report and had previously called for his resignation back in June. “As we have said before, the reported actions of the Governor were profoundly disturbing, inappropriate, and completely unacceptable. Today’s report from the New York State Attorney General substantiated and corroborated the allegations of the brave women who came forward to share their stories – and we commend the women for doing so,” the statement reads.
The Democrats go on to emphasize that the governor violated several state and federal laws, as well as maintaining a pattern of sexually harassing current and former employees. They said that no elected official is “above the law” and that the people of New York deserve better leadership.
House Speaker Pelosi also released a statement saying she commends the women who came forward to speak their truth. She said she recognized Cuomo’s “love of New York” and the “respect for the office he holds” but has called on him to resign.
Republicans, such as Rep. Elise Stefanik, have demanded the immediate arrest of Cuomo, saying that no one is above the law and that justice must be served. She wrote that the media and Democrats smeared her and fellow GOP members for calling on an investigation against Cuomo and that they should all be held accountable. “These brave women deserve swift and definitive justice,” she wrote.
If you remember Vice President Kamala Harris during the Brett Kavanaugh hearings, she treated him like a serial rapist even though there was zero evidence on him. Now, there’s a 165-page report on Cuomo and she’s gone silent. Most of the Dems who’ve been vocal champions of the Me Too Movement are now silent. It’s the pot calling the kettle black.
