New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio (D) said early Wednesday that New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) should be criminally charged after the state’s attorney general found that Cuomo had sexually harassed multiple women and violated both state and federal laws.
“The whole thing has been so painful. When you read this report — 11 women systematically wronged, 11 women affronted by a powerful guy who could crush their career and their reputation, and he’s the kind of guy that everyone assumes would if you crossed them,” de Blasio said on “CBS This Morning,” referring to the findings from New York Attorney General Letitia James’s (D) office.
“And he harassed them, he assaulted them in several cases — it’s not even close — and then he has the audacity to say, ‘Oh, you know, I like to hug people,’ ” de Blasio added.
Host Anthony Mason then asked de Blasio if he believed Cuomo should be charged criminally for his actions.
“Yeah, if you assault a woman, you do something against her will sexually, that’s criminal. And the Albany County district attorney is looking at that and I think he should be charged,” Cuomo said.
Host Gayle King noted that Cuomo has denied doing anything wrong, attributing the incidents to “generational” differences.
“Putting your hand up a woman’s shirt and touching their breast is not generational. I know plenty of guys who are older who would never in a million years do that,” de Blasio responded.
“I absolutely believe he must resign for the good of New York state and our people. If he doesn’t, the clamor, which is universal at this point Democrats and Republicans, saying he’s gotta go is going to win the day. If he wants to wait for impeachment, he can, but it’s coming soon in our state legislature,” the mayor added.
De Blasio on Tuesday said Cuomo should resign or be impeached.
“It is beyond clear that Andrew Cuomo is not fit to hold office and can no longer serve as Governor. He must resign, and if he continues to resist and attack the investigators who did their jobs, he should be impeached immediately,” he said in a statement.
The entire Democratic congressional delegation as well as President Biden have all called for Cuomo to resign in light of the attorney general’s report. Cuomo has refused to resign, appearing to paint the investigation into the allegations as indicative of a “super-heated, if not toxic, political environment.”
“Politics and bias are interwoven throughout every aspect of this situation. One would be naive to think otherwise, and New Yorkers are not naive,” Cuomo said on Tuesday after the report’s release.