After a months-long investigation, the state of New York has concluded that Governor Andrew Cuomo sexually harassed multiple women, both working in and outside of the governor’s office.
New York’s attorney general, Letitia James, made the announcement during a Tuesday morning press conference. The sexual harassment findings are a violation of state and federal law. The investigation was carried out by two outside attorneys who, after interviewing nearly 180 people associated with the accusations, confirmed almost a dozen of the accusations through multiple sources.
But despite the renewed pressure to resign, the governor is still refusing to step down and contends he did not engage in inappropriate behavior. Shortly after the first accusations were made public, Cuomo’s fellow New York Democrats—including both of the state’s U.S. senators, Kirsten Gillibrand and Chuck Schumer—called for his resignation. Now, additional top-ranking Democrats have chimed in, along with calls for impeachment if the governor refuses to step down.
In a rebuttal to the investigation, Cuomo’s attorney publicly shared on the governor’s website an 85-page report, which called the probe’s findings “biased” and said it “purposefully omits key evidence.”
Later on Tuesday, the governor held his own press conference, where he shared his response to the investigation, stating he “never touched anyone inappropriately or made inappropriate sexual advancements,” as well as revealed an unusual slideshow of photos of him kissing and pressing his face against others, defending his habits as something he does with “everyone.”
In March, President Biden told ABC News that if the AG’s investigation verified harassment, the governor should step down, adding that he could potentially be prosecuted.
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