[American Crisis] Over the past two weeks, seven women have come forward with sexual harassment allegations against New York Governor Andrew Cuomo. The most recent woman to accuse him of misconduct said he had groped her at the governor’s mansion last year. The floodgates have most definitely opened and many of his longtime allies have abandoned him as people often do in situations like this.On Friday, Sens. Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand issued a joint statement in which they called for Cuomo to resign. It read:
Confronting and overcoming the Covid crisis requires sure and steady leadership,Prior to their announcement, the majority of House lawmakers from the state, including Reps. Jerry Nadler and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, had called on Cuomo to quit.
We commend the brave actions of the individuals who have come forward with serious allegations of abuse and misconduct. Due to the multiple, credible sexual harassment and misconduct allegations, it is clear that Governor Cuomo has lost the confidence of his governing partners and the people of New York. Governor Cuomo should resign.
Even the editors of the New York Times are on board. In a Saturday op-ed, they wrote:
The governor has lost his political allies and the public’s confidence. ... The reality is that Mr. Cuomo has now lost the support of his party and his governing partners. The Democrats who control the State Legislature appear willing to impeach him, to say nothing of the Republicans. New York’s congressional delegation and city leaders, key to his base, have called on him to resign.Certainly I agree that if these allegations are true, Cuomo should step down. However, in my opinion, the far worse charges against the Governor involve his handling of the COVID-19 crisis.
Undergirding these specific accusations is the widespread description of his administration by many former aides as a toxic workplace in which Mr. Cuomo and others ruled by fear and emotional abuse — and drew women whom Mr. Cuomo saw as attractive closer into his orbit, actively encouraging them to wear heels and dress in tightfitting clothing whenever he was around. In New York politics, Mr. Cuomo’s bullying style was an open secret. But the public caught only a glimpse of the dangers of Mr. Cuomo’s behavior recently.
A man who would put women in such uncomfortable positions, especially when several of them were his subordinates, is disrespectful, rude and quite simply a pig. But a man who would force nursing homes to take COVID-infected patients into their facilities, knowing how vulnerable most residents were and how easily the virus could be spread, is in a whole different league.