Following detailed allegations of sexual harassment by several women, US President Joe Biden has called on New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo to resign. “I think he should resign,” Biden, a Democrat, said Tuesday at the White House about his New York partisan.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi also called for Cuomo’s removal. The full and independent investigation into the allegations against Cuomo by New York’s attorney general is complete, Pelosi said. “In recognition of his love for New York and the respect he has for his office, I call on the governor to resign,” she said. She praised the women who had the courage to go public with their accusations against Cuomo. Earlier, U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and several House Members had called for Cuomo’s resignation.
It is considered very unusual for the US president to ask a legitimately elected governor to resign-even more so if he belongs to the same party. But Biden had already been very critical of the allegations against Cuomo in an interview in March. Asked if Cuomo should resign if the investigation confirms the allegations, Biden said at the time: “Yes.”Women need” a lot of courage ” to make such allegations public, Biden said. They should therefore be taken very seriously and the allegations closely investigated, Biden said at the time.
Earlier on Tuesday, an investigation conducted by New York Attorney General Letitia James concluded that Cuomo had sexually harassed several women. Among other things, there have been unwanted touches, kisses, hugs and inappropriate comments. In addition, Cuomo has created a “hostile working atmosphere” and a “climate of fear” for women.
Cuomo immediately denied the allegations. “I want them to hear directly from me that I have never inappropriately touched anyone or approached anyone inappropriately,” Cuomo explained. “That’s just not who I am, or have ever been.”Cuomo did not discuss a possible resignation.
In the meantime, the governor was considered a beacon of hope for the Democratic Party. In the corona pandemic, he staged himself as a counterproposal to then-Republican President Donald Trump.
