WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden called on New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo to resign Tuesday after a scathing report by the state attorney general found he sexually harassed multiple women, including current and former employees.
After giving remarks at the White House on Tuesday, Biden was asked by reporters about the news and if he stood by his comments from last March about Cuomo stepping down pending the findings of an investigation.
“I think he should resign,” Biden said. When he was asked if Cuomo should be impeached and removed from office should he refuse to step down, Biden said, “Let’s take one thing at a time.”
Biden’s comments were the latest in Democratic leadership to call for the New York governor to resign.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand released a joint statement, calling the allegations against Cuomo “profoundly disturbing, inappropriate and completely unacceptable.”
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi echoed the calls for Cuomo to step down.
“Recognizing his love of New York and the respect for the office he holds, I call upon the Governor to resign,” Pelosi said in a statement.
A 165-page report was announced by New York Attorney General Letitia James, who said the findings uncovered Cuomo sexually harassed 11 women, including current and former employees, and a New York State trooper.
Investigators detailed in graphic detail several incidents including making sexual comments and grabbing women.
“None of them welcomed it and all of them found it uncomfortable,” James told reporters Tuesday.
One case found he grabbed an employee’s buttocks and groped her under her shirt, and he fondled the state trooper, the report found.
The Albany County, N.Y. district attorney’s office released a statement announcing there is an ongoing criminal investigation into Cuomo’s conduct.
“I want you to know directly from me that I never touched anyone inappropriately or made inappropriate sexual advances,” Cuomo said in a prepared video statement.
As Cuomo spoke, a slideshow played of Cuomo — and his parents — touching friends and wedding guests on the face. He said it was an Italian tradition that runs in the family.
The slideshow included photos of Cuomo with political figures such as Hillary Clinton, former President Barack Obama, and President Joe Biden.
When asked Tuesday of Cuomo using photos of him as a way of self-defense, he replied, “I’m sure there are some embraces that were totally innocent. But apparently, the attorney general decided there were things that weren’t.”
Investigators detailed in graphic detail several incidents including making sexual comments and grabbing women.
“It is beyond clear that Andrew Cuomo is not fit to hold office and can no longer serve as Governor,” New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said in a statement. “He must resign, and if he continues to resist and attack the investigators who did their jobs, he should be impeached immediately.”
Reps. Carolyn Maloney, Jerry Nadler, and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez all called the findings “deeply disturbing, clear and thorough”.
“For the good of New York State, Andrew Cuomo must resign,” they said.
