Cuomo Says Will not Resign, Despite Increasing Allegations

By Yehudit Garmaise

    This afternoon, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced that, pending legislature approval, New York restaurants outside New York City can operate at 75% capacity, he needs to get the state budget passed in the next three weeks, and get New York on an “upward trajectory post-COVID.”

     The focus of governor’s press conference today, however, was on his insistence that he would “not resign because of allegations [of harassment],” the premise of which, the governor called “anti-democratic.”

   “This is a democracy, and there no there is no way I resigning,” Gov. Cuomo said. “Let the attorney general get her findings, and let’s go from there. [Attorney General Letitia James] is very good, very competent. Let her do her job.”

    The governor said that he was not “going to be distracted” by  the now five different allegations of harassment against him.

    “We have a lot of work to do for this state,” the governor said. “This is not about me. The attorney general can handle that. This is about doing the people’s business.”

  The governor’s first objection to the multiple allegations that were made is that they should have been made privately, despite the fact that he did not respect the privacy of many with whom he worked.

   Instead broadcast on Twitter and through the media, the governor felt that he should have received a private letter about the allegations against him.

    “Why?” The governor asked.  “Because it is damaging to publicize allegations before you know that they are credible.”

  When a reporter asked the governor what was his response that the people in his “own party who are calling for resignation,” the governor said, “There is politics in politics,” and laughed a crazy laugh.

   “Look I have political differences with people,” said Gov. Cuomo, who mentioned Sen. [Alessandra] Biaggi, and other Democrats. “But they don’t override the people’s will and elections. [Elected officials] don’t get to make a determination on allegations.”

   Gov. Cuomo even suggested that one former aid was only make accusations because “she has been a longtime political adversary of mine, highly critical of me for many years.

   When faced with threats and calls for resignation from members of his own party, Gov. Cuomo became threatening to New York elected officials.

  “Let’s release everything they have allegations on Senate members,” the governor said. “People have a right to come forward.

  “They are free to make allegations, but the truth matters,” the governor said hollowly.

(Mike Groll/Office of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo)