Top New York lawmakers echo Cuomo’s defense of resignation

ALBANY, NY – There appears to be no serious movement toward impeaching New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo a day after the state Senate majority leader called on the beleaguered governor to step down.

In the Assembly, where any impeachment process is expected to begin, the highest women in the chamber released a statement echoing Cuomo’s own arguments against the resignation, a sure sign there isn’t enough support. among leaders of the Democratic-dominated chamber to initiate impeachment. procedure.

In the statement, 21 women, all Democrats, wrote: “Our democracy demands that we be diligent and swift in our search for truth and justice. This matter does not deserve less attention. New York Attorney General Tish James is investigating the allegations.

State Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins ​​said on Sunday the cascade of accusations against the governor had become a distraction as the state sought to negotiate a budget and deal with the distribution vaccines and the economic consequences of coronavirus restrictions. “For the good of the state,” she said, “Governor Cuomo must resign”.

But a statement by Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, who is expected to sign the start of any impeachment proceedings, has been drafted with more care. He said Cuomo should “seriously consider” if he were to continue to stay in his post.

Monday’s statement by women parliamentarians took on an even more reserved tone.

“We believe the Attorney General will exercise due process and expediency in her deliberations,” it read. “We continue to support our Attorney General, the first woman and the first African American woman to be elected to this post, as she launches this investigation. We ask that she be given the time necessary to complete her investigation rather than undermine her role and responsibilities as the head of law enforcement in New York State. ”

James announced Monday that two attorneys, including one who had sued longtime Cuomo assistant and confidant Joe Percoco, would lead the independent investigation into Cuomo’s conduct.

Signatories to Monday’s statement included Assembly Majority Leader Crystal Peoples-Stokes and Ways and Means Speaker Helene Weinstein, the second and third-highest members of Heastie’s chamber. It was also signed by Assembly Member Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn, chair of the Brooklyn Democratic Committee.

The statement does not explicitly say that Cuomo should not resign. But it echoed the tone used by the governor in his recent appearances, where he argued that no one should draw any conclusions until the investigation is complete. “I don’t represent or work for Albany politicians,” Cuomo said during an appearance at the Javits Center in Manhattan on Monday.

The governor’s office said it had no role in drafting Monday’s statement from members of the assembly.

Others also suggested that people should wait until the attorney general’s report is complete before passing judgment. But together, the 21 members make up a larger share of the 107-person Democratic conference than the 14 members who said Cuomo should step down, or the six who called for impeachment proceedings.

There is a long way to go, in other words, before there is any evidence that most Democrats in the Assembly would be ready to begin impeachment – and thus end any chance that their Legislative priorities receive attention in the coming months.

The only impeachment of a governor of New York came in 1913, when William Sulzer was both impeached and impeached during his first year in office.

This trial “was very tedious,” said lobbyist Jack O’Donnell, author of a book on the subject. “There was literally no other government work. [that] unfolded during the trial… There was just chaos in the state, where the lieutenant governor said he was in charge, the comptroller stopped paying the bills.

Republicans, however, “will continue to fight on this issue,” Assembly Minority Leader Will Barclay said on Monday. He announced that his conference, which had previously introduced resolutions to create committees to study whether impeachment is warranted, will now introduce a resolution to skip that step and directly impeach Cuomo.

“I don’t think I used the term bomb, especially this weekend, [at] at any time in my life – it’s been one bomb after another, ”Barclay said. “We hope that the pressure will continue to increase.”

But Barclay’s conference will have no role in deciding what gets voted on, leaving Cuomo’s critics to hope that either some new developments increase the pressure for impeachment or that the governor simply heeds calls like Stewart’s. -Cousins ​​and withdraws. The latter option still seems unlikely.

“Ask him to resign?” He’s already said ‘no I’m not,’ said Assembly Member Charles Barron (D-Brooklyn), an impeachment supporter who has been raising the issue since at least 2014. “Now that are you going to do? He’s not the type to say “you know what, yeah, for the good of the state I’m going to quit.” It is not in its composition.