The New York state assembly has authorized its judiciary committee to start an “impeachment investigation” into sexual misconduct allegations brought by six women against Andrew Cuomo.
The panel’s investigation into the New York governor, which would run parallel to one being led by the state attorney general, Letitia James, would be authorized to interview witnesses, subpoena documents and evaluate evidence, said Carl Heastie, the speaker of the state assembly.
“The reports of accusations concerning the governor are serious,” Heastie, a Democrat, said in a statement. The assembly judiciary committee will oversee the investigation, which will have the power to interview witnesses and subpoena documents.
Separately, police in Albany said that they have been notified of the allegations and that these “may have risen to the level of a crime” although this does not mean they have opened a criminal investigation.
An acting counsel for Cuomo said the referral to the police was a “matter of state policy”.
Cuomo, 63, is one of the most prominent Democratic governors in the country and is facing mounting pressure to resign over the allegations, as well as claims that his office under-reported thousands of deaths in nursing homes early in the Covid-19 pandemic.
On Thursday, more than 55 Democratic New York legislators published a letter calling for Cuomo’s resignation. “In light of the governor’s admission of inappropriate behavior and the findings of altered data on nursing home Covid-19 deaths he has lost the confidence of the public and the state legislature, rendering him ineffective in this time of most urgent need,” states the letter, which was posted on Twitter by one of its signatories, the Democratic assemblywoman Amanda Septimo, of the South Bronx. “It is time for governor Cuomo to resign.”
Cuomo has denied all allegations by the women, most of whom are former aides. The most recent is an unnamed aide who told the Times-Union newspaper on Tuesday that Cuomo had groped her after calling her to the executive mansion last year under the pretext of business.
Cuomo denied the groping accusation, the Times-Union reported on Wednesday, saying “I have never done anything like this” and calling the details “gut-wrenching”. Representatives for Cuomo did not immediately respond to Reuters’ request for comment.
Reuters could neither independently verify the woman’s identity nor her account.
The governor issued a broad apology at a news conference last week for any behavior that made women feel uncomfortable, but he maintained that he had never touched anyone inappropriately.
Heastie, who said he decided to launch the investigation after meeting with fellow Democrats who control the assembly, said last weekend that Cuomo should “seriously consider whether he can effectively meet the needs of the people of New York”.
The list of New York politicians, including Cuomo’s fellow Democrats, calling on the governor to step down has been growing, and on Thursday included the New York City mayor, Bill de Blasio, who said Cuomo “just can’t serve as governor any more”.
Cuomo has said he will not resign and has asked the public to await the results of that investigation before making judgment. Some Democrats believe that only the threat of impeachment will force out the governor, who has a history of clashing with his own party and has developed a reputation for aggressive political tactics against those who oppose him.
De Blasio, a longtime political rival of Cuomo, said on Thursday that the latest accusation was disturbing.
“The specific allegation that the governor called an employee of his, someone who he had power over, called them to a private place and then sexually assaulted her, it’s absolutely unacceptable,” De Blasio told reporters. “It is disgusting to me, and he can no longer serve as governor.”
Calls for Cuomo to step down have been mounting since late February, when Cuomo’s first accuser, Lindsey Boylan, a former aide and current Manhattan borough president candidate, published an essay accusing him of making unwanted advances.
The governor has also faced accusations in recent weeks that his administration sought to downplay the number of nursing home residents killed by Covid-19.
Last weekend, the state senate majority leader, Andrea Stewart-Cousins, called on the governor to resign, saying his governing style created a “toxic work environment” and the sexual misconduct allegations had undermined his ability to lead.
Reuters contributed to this report.
