New York Governor Andrew Cuomo insisted on his innocence in the face of sexual harassment charges and assured he would not resign

Andrew Cuomo, Governor of the State of New York, He again rejected this Friday the numerous accusations of sexual harassment against him and asked “to separate fact from opinion”, during a press conference call.

“I didn’t do anything that would have been done. I have not harassed anyone, I have not attacked anyone, I have never abused anyone ”, Cuomo insisted.

“The latter is not true,” the governor said of the accusation that emerged Thursday of an alleged “groping” by him of a woman. “Women have the right to express themselves and to be heard. But the question of the truth remains. I don’t want to speculate on the motives, but as a former attorney general who has been through this many times I can tell you that there are many reasons to bring this type of accusation ”.

“This is why you have to know the facts before you decide. People know the difference between politics, the culture of cancellation and the truth. “, he expressed.

“Let the investigation move forward. I will not resign, I was not elected by politicians but by people “he concluded, referring to the growing number of lawmakers from his own Democratic Party calling on him to step down, and even pushing a New York Assembly Judiciary Committee investigation forward, a step on the way. of dismissal.

This isn’t the first time Cuomo has insisted on his innocence.

On Wednesday March 3, the governor, with 10 years in office, publicly apologized for making the women “uncomfortable” who claim to have harassed them, but denied having touched any of them. “inappropriately” and assured that he was not going to resign. “I understand that I acted in a way that made people uncomfortable, it was not intentional and frank and I apologize deeply, I feel very bad about this”, a- he said at a press conference.

The following Sunday, he again insisted that he would not resign from his post., despite declarations of resignation from the head of the State Senate (belonging to his own party), and demanded that the State Attorney General be allowed to work.

So far, six women have brought sexual charges against Cuomo. The last of them – and the most serious – has further eroded the president’s position. Shortly before his press conference, A group of Democratic lawmakers representing New York nationally – including Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and veteran Jerry Nadler – joined the growing chorus of voices calling for his resignation..

The complaint “concerns the immediate safety and well-being of the governor’s staff,” said Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, known as “AOC,” representing the boroughs of Queens and the Bronx, in a joint statement with another New York colleague Jamaal Bowman. .

“We believe these women, we believe the news, we believe the attorney and 55 New York lawmakers who came to the conclusion that Governor Cuomo can no longer lead effectively in the face of all of these challenges.”, They expressed in their statement.

Nadler, for his part, said Cuomo had lost the confidence of New Yorkers. “The repeated accusations against the governor and the manner in which he has responded to them prevent him from continuing to govern,” he said.

In contrast, Cuomo harshly criticized those who spoke in this direction, calling them “reckless and dangerous.” “New Yorkers shouldn’t trust a politician who takes a stand without knowing the facts.», He concluded.

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