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u.s. news Diaranson 11 augustus 2021

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo resigning over sexual harassment

(AP) — Gov. Andrew the younger Cuomo was of-
Cuomo announced his ten mentioned as a potential
resignation Tuesday over presidential candidate. Even
a barrage of sexual harass- as the scandal mushroomed,
ment allegations in a fall he was planning to run for
from grace a year after he reelection in 2022.
was widely hailed nation-
ally for his detailed daily “This resignation is simply
briefings and leadership an attempt to avoid real ac-
during some of the dark- countability,” state GOP
est days of the COVID-19 chair Nick Langworthy said.
pandemic.
Cuomo prefaced his resig-
By turns defiant and chas- nation with a 45-minute de-
tened, the 63-year-old Dem- fense from his lawyer and
ocrat emphatically denied in- his own insistence that his
tentionally mistreating wom- behavior — while sometimes
en and called the pressure for insensitive, off-putting or
his ouster politically motivat- “too familiar” — had been
ed. But he said that fighting used against him as a weapon
back in this “too hot” politi- in a political environment
cal climate would subject the where “rashness has replaced
state to months of turmoil. reasonableness.”

“The best way I can help now “I am a fighter, and my in-
is if I step aside and let gov- stinct is to fight through this
ernment get back to govern- controversy because I truly
ing,” Cuomo said in a tele- believe it is politically mo-
vised address. tivated. I believe it is unfair
and it is untruthful,” he said,
The third-term governor’s but added that he didn’t want
resignation, which will take “distractions” to consume the
effect in two weeks, was an- state government as it grap-
nounced as momentum ples with the pandemic and
built in the Legislature to re- other problems.
move him by impeachment
and after nearly the entire Cuomo still faces the pos-
Democratic establishment sibility of criminal charges,
had turned against him, with with a number of prosecutors
President Joe Biden joining around the state continuing
those calling on him to re- to investigate him. At least or cultural” differences, in- protections against sexual ha- White House.
sign. one of his accusers has filed a voking his upbringing in an rassment and lengthened the
criminal complaint. affectionate Italian American statute of limitations in rape Also, Cuomo’s administra-
The decision came a week family. cases. tion was fiercely criticized for
after New York’s attorney At the White House, Biden forcing nursing homes to ac-
general released the results said: “I respect the governor’s The attorney general’s ha- His resignation is “a testa- cept patients recovering from
of an investigation that found decision.” At the same time, rassment investigation ment to the growing power the virus.
Cuomo sexually harassed at he said Cuomo had “done a backed up the women’s ac- of women’s voices since the
least 11 women. helluva job” on infrastructure counts and added lurid new beginning of the #MeToo The U.S. Justice Department
and voting rights, and “that’s ones. Investigators also said movement,” said Debra Katz, is investigating the state’s
Investigators said he sub- why it’s so sad.” the governor’s staff retaliat- a lawyer for one of his accus- handling of data on nursing
jected women to unwanted ed against Boylan by leaking ers, Charlotte Bennett. home deaths. In addition, the
kisses; groped their breasts “From the beginning, I sim- confidential personnel files state attorney general is look-
or buttocks or otherwise ply asked that the governor about her. Cuomo’s tough-minded ing into whether Cuomo
touched them inappropriate- stop his abusive behavior,” but compassionate rhetoric broke the law in using mem-
ly; made insinuating remarks Lindsey Boylan, the first As governor, Cuomo pro- made for riveting television bers of his staff to help write
about their looks and their woman to accuse Cuomo claimed himself a “progres- well beyond New York, as he and promote his book, from
sex lives; and created a work publicly of harassment, sive Democrat” who gets sternly warned people to stay which he stood to make more
environment “rife with fear tweeted Tuesday. “It became things done: Since taking of- home and wear masks while than $5 million.
and intimidation.” abundantly clear he was un- fice in 2011, he helped push Trump often brushed off
able to do that, instead attack- through legislation that le- the virus. Cuomo’s briefings The governor also faced in-
Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul, a ing and blaming victims until galized gay marriage, began won an international Emmy creasing criticism over his
62-year-old Democrat and the end.” lifting the minimum wage to Award, and he went on to rough and sometimes vindic-
former member of Congress $15 and expanded paid family write a book on leadership in tive treatment of fellow poli-
from the Buffalo area, will As the scandal grew, Cuomo leave benefits. He also backed a crisis. ticians and his own staff, with
become the state’s 57th gov- called some of the allegations big infrastructure projects, former aides telling stories of
ernor and the first woman to fabricated, forcefully deny- including a new Hudson But those accomplishments a brutal work environment.
hold the post. She said Cuo- ing he touched anyone inap- River bridge that he named were soon tainted when it “I want them to know, from
mo’s resignation was “the propriately. But he acknowl- after his father. emerged that the state’s of- the bottom of my heart: I
right thing to do and in the edged making some aides ficial count of nursing home never did, and I never would,
best interest of New York- uncomfortable with com- At the same time he was en- deaths had excluded many intentionally disrespect a
ers.” ments he said he intended as gaging in the behavior that victims who had been trans- woman or treat any woman
playful, and he apologized for got him into trouble, he was ferred to hospitals before differently than I would want
The #MeToo-era scandal cut some of his behavior. publicly championing the they succumbed. A Cuomo them treated,” he said. “Your
short not just a career but a #MeToo movement and aide acknowledged the ad- dad made mistakes. And he
dynasty: Cuomo’s father, He portrayed some encoun- surrounding himself with ministration feared the true apologized. And he learned
Mario Cuomo, was governor ters as misunderstandings women’s rights activists. He numbers would be “used from it. And that’s what life
in the 1980s and ’90s, and attributable to “generational signed into law sweeping new against us” by the Trump is all about.”