“New York is still in the midst of this pandemic and is still facing the societal, health and economic impacts of it,” Stewart-Cousins wrote in a statement. “We need to govern without daily distraction. For the good of the state Governor Cuomo must resign.”
Shortly after Stewart-Cousins’s statement was released, Heastie announced he “shares the sentiment.”
“We have many challenges to address, and I think it is time for the governor to seriously consider whether he can effectively meet the needs of the people of New York,” Heastie said.
The lawmakers’ remarks come hours after Cuomo defiantly reiterated to reporters that he has no plans to step down, rebutting claims by former staff members who alleged sexual misconduct.
Karen Hinton, a former press secretary for Cuomo during his time at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, told The Post that she was summoned to a hotel room in 2000 after a work event, where Cuomo allegedly hugged her for an uncomfortable period of time.
New York Attorney General Letitia James, a Democrat, is investigating the claims made against Cuomo. There is also a federal investigation into the Cuomo administration’s handling of nursing home deaths.
On Sunday, Cuomo said he wanted to wait for the conclusion of the attorney general’s investigation, saying that stepping down without due process would be “anti-democratic.” He also denied accusations made by Hinton and Ana Liss, who worked in Cuomo’s executive chambers between 2013 and 2015.
Responding to Cuomo’s rebuffs, Hinton said: “Truth is the ‘longtime adversary’ that Cuomo fears the most.”
Former president Donald Trump “may be gone, but Cuomo has stepped right into his shoes by blaming the abused for his own abusive behavior,” she said.
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