Our live coverage has ended. Read more about his resignation here.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Tuesday that he will resign, relinquishing under extraordinary pressure his decade-long grip on power and heading off a potential impeachment by New York’s Democratic-led legislature a week after the release of a report by the state attorney general that found he had sexually harassed 11 women.
“Given the circumstances, the best way I can help now is if I step aside and let government get back to governing,” Cuomo said in remarks from New York City. “Therefore that’s what I’ll do.”
The son of another three-term governor, the New York Democrat indicated his announcement would take effect in two weeks. He will hand over the reins to his deputy of seven years, Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul, a Buffalo native who is now poised to become the state’s first female governor. Democratic state Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins will replace Hochul — meaning the state’s three highest offices will all be held, at least until Hochul appoints her own replacement, by women.
In the seven days since New York state Attorney General Letitia James made her report public, Cuomo faced new and more adamant calls to step down from both state and national Democrats. He initially pushed back, seeking more time, against the advice of trusted aides but ultimately relented and decided to resign before state lawmakers could begin a process that would likely have made him the first New York governor to be impeached in more than a century.
The announcement capped a remarkable fall for the governor, who was lauded for his handling of the Covid-19 pandemic in the spring of 2020 only to see his administration swallowed up in scandal — over his alleged sexual misbehavior, the underreporting of nursing home deaths related to the coronavirus and his potential abuse of public resources as he wrote a book last year about the pandemic in New York.
As his handling of the pandemic came under increasing scrutiny, including through an ongoing federal inquiry, a series of reports about his personal behavior left him politically stricken. Even now, as he prepares to leave office, Cuomo could potentially face criminal charges related to the allegations against him. He is also being sued by one his accusers, former aide Lindsey Boylan.
Cuomo has denied all of the allegations, saying he never touched anyone inappropriately, but acknowledged that some of his behavior made others uncomfortable.
He continued to skirt the line between apology and excuses during his remarks on Tuesday, thanking the women who came forward with “sincere” complaints, but — as he did earlier this year — he insisted that he was, politically, the victim of evolving social norms.
“In my mind, I’ve never crossed the line with anyone. But I didn’t realize the extent to which the line has been redrawn,” Cuomo said. “There are generational and cultural shifts that I just didn’t fully appreciate. And I should have — no excuses.”
President Biden told reporters Tuesday that he respects Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s decision to step down.
“I respect the governor’s decision. I respect the decision he made,” Biden said after delivering remarks to mark the Senate’s passage of a bipartisan infrastructure bill.
Asked what impact Cuomo’s resignation has on the Democratic party, Biden said, “I think the impact is all on Andrew Cuomo.”
In another question, Biden was asked to assess how Cuomo has performed as governor over the past decade he’s been in office.
“He’s done a hell of a job. Both on everything from access to voting to infrastructure, to a whole range of things. That’s why it’s so sad,” Biden said.
Some context: After the New York attorney general’s report on sexual harassment and Cuomo was released last week, Biden said he thought that the governor should resign. Months earlier, Biden said that if the attorney general’s investigation proved the allegations against Cuomo to be true that he thought the governor should resign.
Two members of the New York State Assembly Judiciary Committee told CNN that the committee’s lawyers are looking into whether or not they can impeach Gov. Andrew Cuomo now that he has announced his resignation. They plan to move forward with their planned meeting this Monday to discuss the next steps, the two members said.
Both members are adamant the plan is to deliver reports on the four scandals surrounding the governor that the Assembly tasked them with handling.
The Judiciary Committee, both assembly members say, has already been investigating four areas: the sexual harassment allegations, deaths in nursing homes from Covid-19, usurping state resources for personal gain, and allegations of a cover-up over damaged bridge bolts on the Mario Cuomo Bridge.
At least two of the New York state district attorney’s offices investigating possible criminal actions by New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo will continue their work after he announced his resignation.
Brendan Brosh, a spokesperson for the Nassau County DA’s office said today, “Our investigation continues.”
Albany DA spokesperson Cecilia Walsh said their office’s inquiry into possible criminal conduct in their jurisdiction “remains open and pending.”
Some context: Nassau and Albany counties are among at least four district attorney’s offices in the state who have requested additional investigative information from New York Attorney General Letitia James’ report on the probe into sexual harassment allegations against Cuomo.
The union that represents New York State troopers says that they appreciate Cuomo’s apology to their “fellow trooper” but that it is unfortunate it took him so long to do so, according to a statement from the New York State Police Investigators Association.
The New York State troopers themselves declined to comment directly to Cuomo’s apology and resignation.
Some background: A New York state trooper, who was a member of Cuomo’s protective detail, was among those alleging harassment. You can read more about those allegations here.
On the heels of New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s resignation, state Attorney General Letitia James said “today closes a sad chapter for all of New York.”
Her team lead the investigation into the governor which ultimately found that he sexually harassed multiple women.
She thanked Cuomo for his contributions to the state, and said the ascension of Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul will help the state “enter a new day.”
Two women are poised to hold the highest political positions in New York state government, a first for the state.
With Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul set to assume the role as governor in 14 days – becoming the first female governor to lead the state – New York Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins would would take on the active duties of New York’s lieutenant governor until Hochul names her own replacement.
Stewart-Cousins, who called for Cuomo’s resignation months ago and again on the heels of the attorney general’s report, said in a statement:
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo resignation is a move to protect his political legacy says Catherine Lucey, a White House reporter for The Wall Street Journal.
The reporter said there’s a disconnect with the message Cuomo is trying to push, “which does not deal with what the New York attorney general’s report details.
“He’s not really grappling with that. And so, we do have this moment of disconnect here where is both acknowledging he needs to step aside, but in some ways for political reasons and is trying to preserve his political legacy in the process right? … It’s hard to do both things, it’s hard to say that you’ve been this champion and yet grapple with this report,” she said.
“Me Too” founder Tarana Burke condemned New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s resignation speech after the governor blamed “generational and cultural shifts” for the sexual harassment allegations against him.
“I have done it all my life. It’s who I have been since I can remember. In my mind, I have never crossed the line with anyone, but I didn’t realize the extent to which the line has been redrawn,” Cuomo said. “There are generational and cultural shifts that I just didn’t fully appreciate – and I should have. No excuses.”
In response, Burke took to Twitter, saying “it’s not true” that the rules have changed over time.
According to Burke, it is not the rules that have changed but the attention to the subject.
New York Sen. Chuck Schumer, the Senate majority leader, released a statement on Tuesday in response to Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s resignation, saying:
The White House reacted to news that embattled Gov. Andrew Cuomo will resign in 14 days, reiterating that it was an outcome President Biden had advocated for.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki dismissed any concerns that Cuomo’s announcement overshadowed passage of a key bipartisan agenda item.
Psaki said Biden has not talked to Cuomo and there are “no plans that I’m aware of” to speak with him. Asked whether the White House was given a heads up on the resignation, Psaki said, “No.”
Psaki said that Biden has “not yet” spoken with Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul, who will become New York’s first female governor when Cuomo’s resignation takes effect.
She also suggested that the American people are more concerned with the infrastructure passage in the Senate than the blockbuster Cuomo news, which happened within minutes of each other.
“What I can assure you of is that the American people across the country, who are commuting back and forth to work, driving their kids to camp, worried about whether their kids have access to clean drinking water, focused on whether schools are going to have the resources they need, are most focused on the fact that 69 members of the Senate – 19 Republicans – joined the Democratic caucus to take an important step forward. That’s my bet in terms of what people are talking about,” Psaki said.
Incoming New York Gov. Kathy Hochul is not “walking into an easy situation” after Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s resignation officially takes effect in two weeks, according to CNN senior political commentator David Axelrod.
Hochul, New York’s lieutenant governor, who called Cuomo’s resignation “the right thing to do,” will take office in the middle of the continuing Covid-19 pandemic and economic recovery efforts and ahead of a gubernatorial race next year.
“She’s going to have assemble a team to help her govern in the midst of all this. This is an enormous task,” Axelrod said to CNN’s John King.
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, a Democrat from New York, told reporters in the wake of New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s resignation that she believes Kathy Hochul “will be an extraordinary governor.”
Hochul, the state’s lieutenant governor, will take office after Cuomo leaves in 14 days.
“I look forward to supporting her and helping her as she turns towards governing our state in a very difficult and challenging time,” Gillibrand said on Tuesday.
Here’s Gillibrand’s full remarks:
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced his resignation today, a week after the New York attorney general’s investigation found that he sexually harassed multiple women.
Cuomo’s resignation will take effect in 14 days, and then, New York Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul will take over as governor.
In a tweet following Cuomo’s announcement, Hochul said she agreed with the governor’s decision to step down.
Hochul, 62, will be the state’s first female governor. A Buffalo native, she was first elected lieutenant governor of New York in 2014 as Cuomo’s running mate and won reelection alongside him in 2018.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s resignation will not impact the Albany County district attorney’s criminal investigation into the behavior by the governor outlined in Attorney General Letitia James report, according to Cecilia Walsh, a spokesperson for the Albany County district attorney.
When asked directly if Cuomo stepping down impacts the investigation by Albany County District Attorney David Soares, Walsh said, “It does not.”
After the report was released, the Albany County district attorney’s office requested investigative materials obtained by James.
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio released a statement following Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s announcement that he will resign, saying it was “past time” for the governor to step aside.
Here is the mayor’s statement:
An attorney for two Andrew Cuomo accusers say their clients feel “vindicated” and “relieved” that he will “no longer be in a position of power over anyone.”
In a statement, Mariann Wang, attorney for Alyssa McGrath and Virginia Limmiatis, said:
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said his resignation would take effect in two weeks, when he will hand over the reins to his deputy, Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul.
His resignation comes one week after the release of a report by the state attorney general that found he sexually harassed 11 women. His announcement Tuesday ends his decade leading the state and heading off a potential impeachment by New York’s Democratic-led legislature.
In the seven days since New York state Attorney General Letitia James made her report public, Cuomo, the son of another three-term governor, faced new and more adamant calls to step down from state and national Democrats alike. He initially pushed back, seeking more time, but ultimately relented and decided to resign before state lawmakers could begin a process that would likely have led to his impeachment and removal from office.
The announcement capped a remarkable fall for the governor, who was lauded for his handling of the Covid-19 pandemic in the spring of 2020, only to see his administration swallowed up in scandal – over his alleged sexual misbehavior, the underreporting of nursing home deaths related to the coronavirus and his potential abuse of public resources as he wrote a book last year about the pandemic in New York.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo said during his address Tuesday that he sees “the world through the eyes of my daughters.”
Cuomo said that he was often with his three daughters while he watched some of the media coverage detailing the accusations against him. “I want them to know” that I never did “intentionally disrespect” a woman, Cuomo said.
“Your dad made mistakes, and he apologized,” he added.
Some context: New York Attorney General Letitia James’s office found in its investigation that Cuomo sexually harassed multiple women and violated state law. The attorney general said that her office’s investigation found 11 women who reported allegations against Cuomo to be credible.
New York Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul, 62, will soon become the state’s first female governor, replacing Gov. Andrew Cuomo. A Buffalo native, she was first elected lieutenant governor of New York in 2014 as Cuomo’s running mate and won reelection alongside him in 2018.
Her old campaign website touts her work on raising the minimum wage in New York to $15, push for the state’s paid family leave law, and advocacy for women. She led the governor’s “Enough is Enough” initiative to combat sexual assault on college campuses and co-chairs the state’s heroin and opioid abuse task force.
She first garnered national attention after winning a US House special election in 2011 for New York’s 26th congressional district. The seat had long been considered safe by Republicans, who held the district for four decades until Hochul’s victory. The election was seen as a proxy battle over a then-House Republican proposal to reform Medicare.
While in Congress, she introduced the Clothe a Homeless Hero Act, which directed airports to deliver unclaimed clothes at airport checkpoints to veterans organizations. Her bill became law in 2013. She lost her reelection bid in 2012 to former Republican Rep. Chris Collins in the redrawn district.
Before her brief congressional stint, Hochul spent roughly 18 years in local state politics, including 14 years as a Hamburg Town Councilmember followed by nearly four years as Erie County clerk.
Over the years, she has shifted from being a more conservative-leaning Democrat — previously opposing granting drivers licenses to undocumented immigrants as Erie County clerk and earning an endorsement from the NRA in 2011 — to backing more progressive stances on issues.
Her other past jobs include working at M&T Bank, as an attorney for a Washington, DC, law firm, and as legal counsel and aide to two former New York Democratic politicians — US Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan and US Rep. John Joseph LaFalce.
Hochul, along with her mother and aunt, in 2006 founded a transitional home in Buffalo for victims of domestic violence called the Kathleen Mary House. She told Politico in 2014 that her grandmother had been a victim of domestic abuse, which prompted her and her family’s activism on the issue.
Read more about Hochul’s career here.
Correction: An earlier version of this story mistakenly referred to the county for which Hochul once served as clerk. It is Erie County.
