New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo, accused of sexual harassment by several women, announced his resignation on Tuesday, a week after an indictment was reported on the case.
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“Under the circumstances, the best way to help you is to withdraw,” said Andrew Cuomo, who also offered a “profound apology” to women who were “offended” by his actions.
- Listen to the American political column by Luc Laliberte, blogger at Journal de Montreal et de Quebec on QUB Radio:
Andrew Cuomo, 63, governor in office since 2011 and re-elected in 2014 and 2018, first got involved in February, and testimonies from former employees of his administration or his advisers have doubled since then. In March, he had already rejected calls to resign.
But the situation has become more difficult for him since the overwhelming results of an investigation ordered by New York State Attorney General Letitia James, who accused him of sexually harassing eleven women and violating federal and state laws. Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden has called on him to step down.
Among the women named in the report, an assistant filed a complaint last week, paving the way for legal action against the governor.
- Listen to the news tour with Alexandre Moranville-Ouellet on QUB Radio:
“The most serious accusations have no credible basis in the report. There is a difference between allegations of inappropriate behavior and the fact of the conclusion that there was sexual harassment,” Andrew Cuomo defended again Tuesday.
But this does not mean that eleven women were not offended. They are. And for that, I deeply apologize.”
He said his resignation would take effect within 14 days and praised the “smart and efficient” Deputy Governor Kathy Hochhol who would immediately replace him, becoming the first woman to hold the position of New York state governor.
The governor of the country’s fourth most populous state, Andrew Cuomo, became a national star at the height of the coronavirus pandemic in the spring of 2020, thanks to his daily television ads, seen as rational and reassuring in the midst of the crisis, that made him an anti-Trump figure.
But her record has already been tarnished by a case of downplaying the number of COVID-19 deaths in nursing homes, and then accusations of sexual harassment.
More details will follow…