Cuomo’s resignation speech plays out to preserve his legacy

But as it became clearer that the State Assembly intended to seek his impeachment, the situation became less tenable. According to New York rules, if a governor is removed by the assembly, he or she must step down even before a Senate trial has reached a verdict. Mr. Cuomo, accustomed to the traps of power, would have been loath to stand trial as effectively as a private citizen, people who know him say.

“Today it was about buying him 14 days to determine the next phase of his life, as opposed to an impeachment vote that would have triggered his immediate eviction from his current home and from the executive chamber,” the Minister said. State Senator Todd Kaminsky, a Nassau. County Democrat.

“He wants to leave on his own terms, and he wants it to be as comfortable and as less embarrassing as possible and he bought himself 14 days to do so,” he added. “I don’t think voters feel any differently about the actions, the foul conduct, in the attorney general’s report.”

When asked if Mr. Cuomo could introduce himself again, Mr. Kaminsky replied, “I absolutely don’t think so.

Just before Mr. Cuomo spoke on Tuesday, his attorney, Rita Glavin, gave a lengthy presentation, criticizing the media and going into the details of the report.

After laying the groundwork, Mr. Cuomo stood up for himself. The political environment was to blame for his predicament, he said.

Even on the verge of resignation, Mr Cuomo seemed to believe he might have won in the court of public opinion if he had only had more time.

“This is about politics, and our political system today is too often driven by extremes: recklessness has replaced reason, volume has replaced solidity,” he said. “If I could communicate the facts through the frenzy, New Yorkers would understand. I believe that.”

Representative Ritchie Torres, a Democrat from the Bronx, compared Mr. Cuomo’s trajectory to a Greek tragedy.

“This is the most precipitous collapse in the history of governors’ politics,” he said. “And as with all Greek tragedies, at the heart of it all is pride.”