Reaction To New York Governor Andrew Cuomo Resigning From Elected Officials
Tuesday Morning New York Governor announced he would be resigning as New York’s Governor in 14 days. This comes from the multiple allegations of sexual harassment from 11 women. One week prior to his resignation New York Attorney General Letitia James released a report saying he is quality of multiple accounts of sexual harassment and having a toxic work environment that allowed the behavior to continue.
Once this resignation came out it came as a shocker to many given he vowed to fight this and throughout the entire process he kept his guard up and avoided the topic.
Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul will become New York’s 57th Governor and the very first female governor for the state Of New York
Here are some of the statements by elected officials in regards to Cuomo’s resignation.
New York State Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul
“I agree with Governor Cuomo’s decision to step down. It is the right thing to do and in the best interest of New Yorkers. As someone who has served at all levels of government and is next in the line of succession, I am prepared to lead as New York State’s 57th Governor.”
Attorney General Letitia James
“Today closes a sad chapter for all of New York, but it’s an important step towards justice. I thank Governor Cuomo for his contributions to our state. The ascension of our Lieutenant Governor, Kathy Hochul, will help New York enter a new day. We must continue to build on the progress already made and improve the lives of New Yorkers in every corner of the state. I know our state is in good hands with Lieutenant Governor Hochul at the helm, and I look forward to continuing to work with her.”
Pr
esident Joe Biden
When asked how he would assess Cuomo’s job as governor over the last decade, Biden said he has done a “hell of a job.” Biden continued “Both on everything on access to voting and infrastructure to a whole range of things…that’s why it’s so sad.”
United States Senator Chuck Schumer
“First I want to commend the brave women who stepped forward and courageously told their stories. There is no place for sexual harassment, and todays announcement by Gov Cuomo to resign was the right decision for the good people of NY. I have full confidence that Lt Governor Hochul will establish a professional and capable administration. I have spoken with Lt Governor Hochul and look forward to working together to help the people of NY.”
United States Senator Kirsten Gillibrand
“First and foremost, I want to thank the incredibly courageous women who came forward and shared their stories. They are the true public servants here. New York now has a chance to move forward and build a new culture of leadership. Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul is an exceptional public servant and will be an excellent governor. I look forward to working together to continue serving the people of our great state.”
United States Representative and Chair of House Republican Conference Elise Stefanick
“This resignation is long past overdue. Governor Cuomo needs to be arrested and prosecuted for sexual harassment, sexual assault, and sexual abuse. Governor Cuomo also needs to be arrested and prosecuted for his criminal acts covering up the tragic deaths of our most vulnerable seniors in nursing homes.
“In addition, Governor Cuomo and his staff, funded by the taxpayers, must be prosecuted for illegally using state resources to negotiate a multimillion-dollar book deal. There are multiple federal and state laws that the Governor and his staff have broken, and they need to be held accountable. Every New Yorker must know that there is equal justice under the law — no matter if you are the most powerful figure in New York or an everyday New Yorker.
“The systemic culture of criminal corruption, political vengeance, and illegal retaliation under Andrew Cuomo was brushed under the rug for years by Democrats, the media, and the cesspool of Albany. It is a disgraceful chapter in New York’s history.
“The next Governor Kathy Hochul must purge Cuomo’s abusive, corrupt, and criminal political appointees immediately to clean house for the sake of every New Yorker.”
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio
“Make no mistake, this is the result of survivors bravely telling their stories. It was past time for Andrew Cuomo to resign and it’s for the good of all New York.”
Speaker Of New York Assembly Carl Heastie
“This has been a tragic chapter in our state’s history. Governor Cuomo’s resignation is the right decision. The brave women who stepped forward were heard. Everyone deserves to work in a harassment free environment. I have spoken with Lieutenant Governor Hochul and I look forward to working with her.”
United States Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
“When abusers of power blame everyone else for “misunderstanding” their abuse, it is often a way to gain sympathy from those who’ve ever been / could be involved in a misunderstanding. But the intentional environment of fear & intimidation harassers create is far from a mistake. There is a huge difference between having an awkward interaction and discussing / learning from it vs. mobilizing entire networks and institutions to bring in victims, silence coverage, and retaliate against those who report abuse. Trying to blur that line helps abuse continue.”
“Governor Cuomo’s resignation is necessary and long overdue. But there is still a large amount of work ahead to account for and reverse the ways our institutions were molded over years to maximize the impunity and lack of transparency necessary for these abuses to unfold as they did.”
Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins
“Today is a somber day for the state of New York, but one that demonstrates our ability to build a more accountable system of government. Governor Cuomo’s resignation opens the door to a restorative future. We all owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to the courageous women who came forward and helped pave the way for safer and more inclusive work spaces.
Working with Governor Kathy Hochul, the first woman Governor of New York State, we will continue to address the COVID-19 pandemic, rebuild our economy and face our challenges standing together. Governor Hochul is a dedicated leader, and united, we will get the people’s work done.”
Representative Adriano Espaillat
“Today is a sad day for New York State following the resignation of Governor Cuomo, and we must work together to ensure that our state is able to move forward and rebuild. I extend my full support to each of the victims who have come forth to date and hope that they can each find healing, strength, and comfort from friends, families, and those closest to each of them,” said Rep. Espaillat. “New York is cherished and known around the world as the Empire State and it is crucial that we work together to put the interests and well-being of New Yorkers first and foremost as we continue to move forward and beyond this moment in our history.”
New York State Senator Julia Salazar
“We have a responsibility to go through the full impeachment process. Anything less would fail to fully hold the governor accountable, and to prevent his behavior from being repeated in the future.”
New York State Senator Jessica Ramos
“The threat of impeachment was too big for Andrew Cuomo to bear. New Yorkers deserve better than a man who has played politics with our lives for a decade and couldn’t see beyond his ego. I look forward to working with former Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul as she becomes our first female governor.”
New York State Senator Alessandra Biaggi via Twitter
Today, @NYGovCuomo has finally put New Yorkers first and announced his resignation. I am forever grateful for the eleven women who risked everything to speak out about their experience of sexual misconduct. New York will be a better and safer place because of them. While further accountability is necessary, this moment reflects the hard work of survivors who have been striving for an end to workplace harassment for decades. New York State can now move forward and address the needs of the people we were elected to serve. I look forward to working under @LtGovHochulNY’s leadership. Let this next chapter for New York be one of integrity, optimism, and progress.
State Senate Republican's leader Rob Ortt
“Today marks one small step toward restoring honor, decency, and accountability to New York State government. I hope today also brings some measure of justice to the brave women who had the courage to come forward against a powerful and vindictive political figure.
Over the past year, Andrew Cuomo’s credibility completely fell apart. Now, following his overdue resignation, it will never be repaired. The Governor’s pervasive harassment and coverups cast a dark cloud over our State Capitol and took us away from the important work facing this state.
Andrew Cuomo broke the law, lied about it, and shamelessly smeared the women who came forward. His resignation is welcome, but it stops short of the justice his victims and the people of New York deserve. The FBI, the State Attorney General, and other proper authorities must also be allowed to continue their work investigating all of the possible crimes related to our state’s nursing homes crisis and the Governor’s questionable book deal. The Legislature must examine the Cuomo administration’s many failings in public forums as soon as possible so that these abuses of power will never happen under another administration. We must also acknowledge the fact that the Democrats in the Legislature failed to hold Andrew Cuomo or his administration accountable, despite our repeated calls to do so. Well after the numerous credible allegations were made against Andrew Cuomo, Democrats in both the Senate and Assembly stood by him, normalizing his behavior and enabling him to cling to power. I hope those in the Legislature — and other powerful figures around the state — reflect on their own actions in response to Andrew Cuomo’s disturbing behavior. The vocal support and the deafening silence of many helped keep Andrew Cuomo in power far longer than he deserved. In 14 days we will have our first female Governor. I’d like to congratulate Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul, a fellow Western New Yorker, on becoming the first woman to assume leadership of this state. My fellow Senators and I look forward to working with Governor Hochul as we continue to tackle the issues of rising crime, our state’s struggling economy, and the resurgence of the COVID-19 virus.”
