Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) said she supports an investigation into fellow Democrat Gov. Andrew Cuomo of New York following accusations of sexual misconduct in recent weeks.
“If accurate and true, I think we have to take action,” Whitmer said on CNN on Sunday. “Whatever is appropriate in terms of accountability should follow.”
Whitmer called the investigation “very serious.”
Last week, the New York Attorney General’s office announced it would probe allegations of sexual harassment against the governor, who apologized after two women said they made him feel uncomfortable while working in his administration. A third said he made sexual advances toward her at a wedding.
“First, I fully support a woman’s right to come forward. And I think it should be encouraged in every way. I now understand that I acted in a way that made people feel uncomfortable,” Cuomo said. “It was unintentional, and I truly and deeply apologize for it. I feel awful about it, and frankly, I am embarrassed by it. And that’s not easy to say. But that’s the truth.”
Some politicians and media outlets in New York have called for the governor’s resignation.
“Some politicians will always play politics. That’s the nature of the beast. I don’t think today is a day for politics. I wasn’t elected by politicians, I was elected by the people of the state of New York. I’m not going to resign,” Cuomo said at the press conference. “I work for the people of the state of New York, they elected me, and I’m going to serve the people of the state of New York.”
The Detroit Free Press noted Whitmer downplayed allegations of sexual misconduct against President Biden by a former senate staffer as Whitmer was vying to be chosen as Biden’s vice presidential running mate last year.
“The Joe Biden I know, these stories are inconsistent with what I know and what I’ve seen, in terms of work that he’s done to support women,” Whitmer said at the time.