Resignation of Andrew Cuomo, 2021

	; ; ; Resignation of Andrew Cuomo, 2021
	Term in office:; 2011 - 2021;
	Next in succession: ; Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul (D)
	Related pages NY Attorney General Letitia James (D); United States gubernatorial resignations; Governor of New York; Vacancy process; Resignation of Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber, 2015

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) resigned on August 24. He first announced his resignation on August 10, saying, "Given the circumstances, the best way I can help now is if I step aside and let government get back to governing."^[1] Kathy Hochul (D), formerly the lieutenant governor, served out the remainder of Cuomo's term, which ended on January 1, 2023.

Between December 2020 and August 2021, a series of events unfolded involving Cuomo that resulted in calls for his impeachment or resignation from office, including investigations into sexual harassment accusations and into his administration's handling of nursing homes during the coronavirus pandemic. See below for more information on the events leading to Cuomo's resignation.

Prominent Democrats called on Cuomo to resign, including President Joe Biden (D); U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.); Govs. Phil Murphy (D-N.J.), Tom Wolf (D-Pa.), Ned Lamont (D-Conn.), and Dan McKee (D-R.I.); state Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins (D); and state Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie (D).^[2]

Cuomo was the ninth governor of New York to resign from office and the 218th governor in the nation's history to do so. Click here for more information.

Background

The following is an overview of the events and background that led to Cuomo's resignation.

On January 28, New York Attorney General Letitia James (D) released a report on her office's investigation into nursing home responses to the COVID-19 pandemic. The report stated that many nursing home residents died from COVID-19 in hospitals after they were transferred from nursing homes and that these deaths were not reflected in the Department of Health's count of nursing home deaths. The report stated that nursing home resident deaths appeared to be undercounted by about 50%.^[3]

On February 17, the F.B.I. and U.S. Attorney's office began an investigation of the actions of Cuomo's task force in relation to the handling of nursing homes during the COVID-19 pandemic.^[4]

Cuomo said about the timing of the release of nursing home fatality data, "More than anything it was just a capacity issue. ... Remember, at the same time we’re managing the pandemic; that’s what everyone was doing, and these things take time and the No. 1 priority was saving peoples’ lives."^[5]

Between December 2020 and April 7, 2021, at least 11 women accused Cuomo of sexual harassment or inappropriate behavior. In February, James announced that her office would be conducting an investigation into the accusations.^[6]

Cuomo denied these allegations, saying, in part, “To be clear I never inappropriately touched anybody and I never propositioned anybody and I never intended to make anyone feel uncomfortable[.]”^[7]

On August 3, James released the investigation report, stating that Cuomo sexually harassed multiple women, breaking state and federal laws in doing so. The report's executive summary read, in part, that Cuomo "sexually harassed a number of current and former New York State employees by, among other things, engaging in unwelcome and nonconsensual touching, as well as making numerous offensive comments of a suggestive and sexual nature that created a hostile work environment for women."^[8]

Cuomo responded to the report's release, stating: "I never touched anyone inappropriately or made inappropriate sexual advances. I am 63 years old. I have lived my entire adult life in public view. That is just not who I am, and that’s not who I have ever been."

Resignation announcement

A video and transcript of Cuomo's resignation announcement are below.

Video

USA Today - August 10, 2021

Transcript

CBS New York published the following transcript of Cuomo's announcement.^[9]

“

Over the past several months, you have heard a number of complaints brought against me. I called for an independent review, and I said at the beginning, I would let the process unfold. I didn’t want anyone to say that I interfered. I said I would hold my tongue and I have – making only limited comments.

It has been a hard and a painful period for me and my family. Especially as others feed ugly stories to the press, but I cooperated with the review and I can now finally share the truth. My attorney, who was a nonpolitical, former federal prosecutor, has done a response to each allegation and the facts are much different than what has been portrayed.

That document is available on my website. If you are interested, please take the time to read the facts and decide for yourself.

First, I want you to know directly from me that I never touched anyone inappropriately or made inappropriate sexual advances. I am 63 years old. I have lived my entire adult life in public view. That is just not who I am and that’s not who I have ever been.

There is one complaint that has been made that bothered me most. That was a complaint made by a young woman, Charlotte Bennett, who worked in my office. And it’s important to me that you fully understand the situation.

Charlotte worked in my office last year as an assistant. She was smart, talented, and eager to learn. She identified herself to me as a survivor of sexual assault. She said that she came to work in my administration because of all the progress we had made in fighting sexual assault. She talked about the personal trauma that she endured and how she was handling it.

I could see how it affected her. I could see her pain. People now ask me, why was I even talking to this young woman? If I knew she was dealing with such issues, why did I even engage with her? That is the obvious and fair question, and one I have thought a lot about.

The truth is that her story resonated deeply with me. I had heard the same story before with the same ugliness, the same injustice, the same damage. Not only had I heard this story before, I had lived with this story before. My own family member is a survivor of sexual assault in high school. I have watched her live and suffer with the trauma. I would do anything to make it go away for her, but it never really goes away.

I spent countless days and nights working through these issues with her and therapists and counselors. I’m Governor of the State of New York, but I felt powerless to help and felt that I had failed her. I couldn’t take the pain away. I still can’t and this young woman brought it all back. She’s about the same age.

I thought I had learned a lot about the issue from my family’s experience. I thought I could help her work through a difficult time. I did ask her questions I don’t normally ask people. I did ask her how she was doing and how she was feeling. And I did ask questions to try to see if she had positive supportive dating relationships.

I know too well, the manifestations of sexual assault trauma and the damage that it can do in the aftermath. I was trying to make sure she was working her way through it the best she could. I thought I had learned enough and had enough personal experience to help. But I was wrong.

I have heard Charlotte and her lawyer and I understand what they are saying, but they read into comments that I made and draw inferences that I never meant. They ascribe motives I never had. And simply put, they heard things that I just didn’t say.

Charlotte, I want you to know that I am truly and deeply sorry. I brought my personal experience into the workplace and I shouldn’t have done that. I was trying to help – obviously I didn’t. I am even more sorry that I further complicated the situation. My goal was the exact opposite. I wish nothing but good for you, and for all survivors of sexual assault.

There is another complaint that I want to address from a woman in my office who said that I groped her in my home office. Let me be clear. That never happened. She wants anonymity and I respect that. So I am limited of what I can say, but her lawyer has suggested that she will file a legal claim for damages. That will be decided in a court of law. Trial by newspaper or biased reviews are not the way to find the facts in this matter. I welcome the opportunity for a full and fair review before a judge and a jury, because this just did not happen.

Other complainants raised against me questions that have sought to unfairly characterize and weaponize everyday interactions that I’ve had with any number of New Yorkers.

The New York Times published a front page picture of me touching a woman’s face at a wedding, and then kissing her on the cheek. That is not front-page news. I’ve been making the same gesture in public all my life. I actually learned it from my mother and from my father. It is meant to convey warmth, nothing more.

Indeed there are hundreds, if not thousands of photos of me using the exact same gesture. I do it with everyone. Black and white, young and old, straight and LGBTQ, powerful people, friends, strangers, people who I meet on the street after the event, the woman told the press that she took offense at the gesture.

And for that, I apologize. Another woman stated that I kissed her on the forehead at our Christmas party and that I said, “ciao Bella.” Now I don’t remember doing it, but I’m sure that I did. I do kiss people on the forehead. I do kiss people on the cheek. I do kiss people on the hand. I do embrace people. I do hug people, men and women.

I do on occasion say, “ciao, Bella.” On occasion, I do slip and say “sweetheart,” or “darling,” or “honey.” I do banter with people. I do tell jokes, some better than others. I am the same person in public as I am in private. You have seen me do it on TV, through all my briefings, and for 40 years before that.

I try to put people at ease. I try to make them smile. I try to connect with them and I try to show my appreciation and my friendship. I now understand that there are generational or cultural perspectives that frankly, I hadn’t fully appreciated. And I have learned from this. Now the State already has an advanced sexual harassment training program for all employees, including me, but I want New York State government to be a model of office behavior, and I brought in an expert to design a new sexual harassment policy and procedures, and to train the whole team, myself included. I accept responsibility and we are making changes.

Other complaints relate to the work environment. Now, I have always said, my office is a demanding place to work and that it is not for everyone. We work really, really hard. My office is no typical nine to five government office, and I don’t want it to be – the stakes we deal with are very high. Sometimes even life and death. We have to get the job done. I promised you that I would, and I will.

But now a number of complaints, target female managers, which smacks to me of a double standard. First, when have you ever seen male managers maligned and villainized for working long hours or holding people accountable or for being tough? A strong male manager is respected and rewarded. But a strong female manager is ridiculed and stereotyped. It is a double standard. It is sexist and it must be challenged.

Also, remember where we are. Today we are living in a superheated, if not toxic political environment – that shouldn’t be lost on anyone. Politics and bias are interwoven throughout every aspect of this situation. One would be naive to think otherwise, and New Yorkers are not naive.

I understand these dynamics. My father used to say, God rest his soul, that politics is an ugly business. As usual he was right. But for my father and for me, it’s worth it, because despite it all, at the end of the day, we get good things done for people. And that is what really matters. And for those who are using this moment to score political points or seek publicity or personal gain, I say they actually discredit the legitimate sexual harassment victims that the law was designed to protect.

My last point is this: I say to my daughters all the time that as complicated as life gets is as simple as life is. My job is not about me, my job is about you. What matters to me at the end of the day is getting the most done I can for you.

And that is what I do every day. And I will not be distracted from that job. We have a lot to do. We still have to manage the COVID beast. It is not dead yet. It’s not over. We then have to reopen and re-imagine our state. Because our future is going to be what we make it. I know we can do these things because I know the strength and the character of New Yorkers. Look at the progress we made on COVID — it is amazing. We went from the highest infection rate in the country to one of the lowest infection rates in the country. Nobody thought that we could do it, but New Yorkers did it. That shows that there’s nothing that we can’t do when we work together. Together, together as one, as one community, as one family, as New Yorkers, we will.

Thank you.^[10]

”

Timeline

August 24, 2021

Cuomo's resignation took effect on August 24 at 12 a.m.

August 10, 2021

Cuomo announced that he would resign effective August 24. At a press conference, Cuomo said, "Given the circumstances, the best way I can help now is if I step aside and let government get back to governing. And therefore that’s what I’ll do."^[1]

August 3, 2021

New York Attorney General Letitia James (D) released a 165-page report stating that Cuomo sexually harassed multiple women, breaking state and federal laws in doing so. Cuomo responded to the report reiterating that he had never "touched anyone inappropriately or made inappropriate sexual advances."Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; invalid names, e.g. too many

April 26, 2021

Cuomo held a press conference during which he was asked about the sexual harassment allegations he had received. When asked if the reports were true, Cuomo responded "To put it very simply, no."^[11] When a New York Times reporter asked him if he was denying all the sexual harassment allegations, Cuomo said he was.^[12]

March 29, 2021

New York resident Sherry Vill spoke in a briefing alongside her lawyer describing a 2017 incident in which Cuomo allegedly grabbed her face and forcibly kissed her cheek twice. The governor had been at Vill's home to tour it after the area had been flooded.^[13]

Cuomo's attorney Rita Glavin responded to the allegation, saying: "During times of crisis, the Governor has frequently sought to comfort New Yorkers with hugs and kisses. As I have said before, the Governor has greeted both men and women with hugs, a kiss on the cheek, forehead or hand for the past forty years."^[14]

March 23, 2021

The New York State Assembly Judiciary Committee held a meeting as part of the legislature's investigation into a potential impeachment of Governor Cuomo. The committee heard from attorneys from Davis Polk & Wardwell, the firm that the legislature hired to aid in the legislature's impeachment investigation. The committee also heard from a current aide to the governor who accused him of inappropriate behavior.^[15]^[16]

March 19, 2021

The New York Times reported that Alyssa McGrath, a current aide in the governor's office, came forward accusing Cuomo of sexual harassment. The Times reported that McGrath was the first current employee to speak publicly about harassment allegations inside the office.^[17]

March 18, 2021

A Quinnipiac University poll of 905 registered voters reported that 49% of New York voters thought that Cuomo should not resign, while 43% said that he should. The survey was conducted from March 16 to March 17 and the margin of error of the overall sample was plus or minus 3.3 percentage points.^[18]

March 17, 2021

The New York Assembly announced that they had hired the Manhattan firm of Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP to aid in the legislature's impeachment investigation of Cuomo. Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie (D) said, "Since Thursday, Chairman Lavine led a vigorous search for a top-flight firm to assist with the investigation. I have the utmost faith that Assemblymember Lavine and our Judiciary Committee will conduct a full and fair investigation."^[19]

March 15, 2021

A Siena College Research Institute poll of 805 registered voters in New York found that 35% said that Cuomo should immediately resign, 50% said he should not, and 15% either didn't know or had no opinion. The survey was conducted from March 8 through March 12 and the margin of error of the overall sample was plus or minus 4.1 percentage points.^[20]

March 12, 2021

The New York Times reported that United States Senators Chuck Schumer (D) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D) said in a joint statement that Cuomo should resign.^[21]

March 11, 2021

The New York Times reported that State Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie (D) authorized the judiciary committee to open an impeachment inquiry into allegations of misconduct against Cuomo.^[22]

March 9, 2021

The Albany Times-Union reported that a woman had come forward accusing Cuomo of sexual harassment, becoming the sixth to accuse the governor of inappropriate conduct. The outlet reported that the occurrence had taken place in late 2020 at the governor's mansion. The Times-Union witheld the identity of the woman as of March 10 because it had not been able to reach her for comment. ^[23]

After the article was published, Cuomo gave a press conference in which he stated that he was unaware of the accusation. "I’m not aware of any other claim. As I said last week, this is very simple: I never touched anyone inappropriately. As I said last week, I never made any inappropriate advances. As I said last week, no one ever told me at the time that I ever made them feel uncomfortable," Cuomo said.^[24]

March 8, 2021

New York Attorney General Letitia James (D) announced that Joon Kim and Anne Clark would lead an investigation into the accusations of harassment against Cuomo. Kim is a former prosecutor who served as acting U.S. attorney in 2017. At the time of the announcement, he was a partner at Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP. Clark was a partner at Vladeck, Raskin & Clark, P.C.^[25]

March 7, 2021

The New York Post reported that New York State Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins (D) released a statement calling on Cuomo to resign.^[26]

March 6, 2021

The Washington Post and the Wall Street Journal reported that two more women came forward accusing Cuomo of inappropriate behavior. Former press aide Karen Hinton said that in 2000, Cuomo asked her to his hotel room and embraced her after a work event.^[27] Former aide Ana Liss said that between 2013 and 2015, Cuomo flirted with her, touched her on her lower back, and kissed her hand.^[28]

Cuomo's director of communications Peter Ajemian responded to Hinton's accusation, stating: "This did not happen. Karen Hinton is a known antagonist of the Governor’s who is attempting to take advantage of this moment to score cheap points with made up allegations from 21 years ago. All women have the right to come forward and tell their story — however, it’s also the responsibility of the press to consider self-motivation. This is reckless."^[27]

A senior adviser to Cuomo responded to Liss' accusion, stating: "Reporters and photographers have covered the governor for 14 years watching him kiss men and women and posing for pictures. At the public open-house mansion reception, there are hundreds of people, and he poses for hundreds of pictures. That’s what people in politics do."^[28]

March 5, 2021

The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal published reports that Cuomo's aides changed the count of nursing home resident deaths in a July report. According to the Wall Street Journal, the original report, which looked at the spread of coronavirus in nursing homes, stated that nearly 10,000 nursing home residents had died from COVID-19 through that month. The edited report stated there had been 6,432 nursing home deaths.^[29]^[30]

March 4, 2021

A Quinnipiac poll stated that 55% of New York voters said that Cuomo should not resign as governor. The poll found that 59% of state voters also thought Cuomo should not run for re-election in 2022.^[31]

March 3, 2021

Cuomo held a press conference in which he said "I never touched anyone inappropriately. I never touched anyone inappropriately. I never knew at the time that I was making anyone feel uncomfortable. I never knew at the time I was making anyone feel uncomfortable." He went on to add: "I want New Yorkers to hear from me directly on this. 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. 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."^[32]

March 1, 2021

The New York Times published a story on Anna Ruch's allegation that Cuomo touched her and kissed her on the cheek without consent at a wedding in 2019. Ruch did not know Cuomo before the event.^[33]

February 28, 2021

Cuomo said he would ask New York Attorney General Letitia James (D) and New York Court of Appeals chief justice Janet DiFiore to jointly select someone to conduct an investigation into Boylan's and Bennett's allegations.^[34]

Later that day, Cuomo announced he would grant full control of the investigation to James.^[35]^[36]

February 27, 2021

On February 27, 2021, the New York Times reported that Charlotte Bennett, who was a former executive assistant and health policy adviser in the governor's office, alleged that Cuomo asked her inappropriate questions that she interpreted as overtures to a physical relationship on multiple occasions in 2020.

Cuomo also announced that former federal judge Barbara Jones would conduct an independent review of Bennett's allegations.^[37]

February 24, 2021

On February 24, 2021, Lindsey Boylan published an article on the blogging site Medium that accused Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) of sexual harassment and detailed her account of inappropriate interactions with the governor between 2016 and 2018. Boylan, who was then an aide in the Cuomo Administration, wrote that the governor called her the name of his supposed former girlfriend, would often touch her lower back, arms, and legs, and once kissed her on the lips without her consent, among other things. Boylan first alleged that Gov. Cuomo acted inappropriately on Twitter in December 2020.^[38]

In response to Boylan first making her allegations in December 2020, Cuomo said the following: "Look, I fought for and I believe a woman has the right to come forward and express her opinion and express issues and concerns that she has, but it’s just not true.”^[39]

February 17, 2021

State Assemblyman Ron Kim (D) alleged that Cuomo threatened him during a February 11 phone call regarding Kim's comments about DeRosa's remarks. Kim said of Cuomo, "I remember him saying, ‘You haven’t seen my wrath. I bit my tongue about you for months, and I will go out tomorrow and destroy you and start telling the world how bad of a member you are, and you will be finished."^[40]

The Albany Times Union reported that the FBI and the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of New York had begun investigating the state's handling of long-term care facilities amid the pandemic.^[4]

February 15, 2021

Cuomo issued a statement addressing the nursing home deaths, saying "All the deaths in the nursing homes and hospitals were always fully, publicly and accurately reported. We should have done a better job of providing as much information as we could as quickly as we could. No excuses: I accept responsibility for that."^[41]

February 11, 2021

The New York Post reported that Secretary to the governor Melissa DeRosa told Democratic lawmakers that, in response to former President Donald Trump directing the Department of Justice to investigate New York's handling of nursing homes during the pandemic, "[B]asically, we froze. ... Because then we were in a position where we weren’t sure if what we were going to give to the Department of Justice, or what we give to you guys, what we start saying, was going to be used against us while we weren’t sure if there was going to be an investigation."^[42]

January 28, 2021

On January 28, 2021, New York Attorney General Letitia James released a report on her office's investigation into nursing home responses to the COVID-19 pandemic stating, "Preliminary data obtained by OAG suggests that many nursing home residents died from COVID-19 in hospitals after being transferred from their nursing homes, which is not reflected in DOH’s published total nursing home death data. Preliminary data also reflects apparent underreporting to DOH by some nursing homes of resident deaths occurring in nursing homes. In fact, the OAG found that nursing home resident deaths appear to be undercounted by DOH by approximately 50 percent."^[3]

December 13, 2020

Former Cuomo aide Lindsey Boylan accused Cuomo of sexual harassment. Cuomo denied the accusation.^[43]

Cuomo's initial responses to allegations

On February 15, 2021, Cuomo said about the timing of the release of nursing home fatality data, "More than anything it was just a capacity issue. ... Remember, at the same time we’re managing the pandemic; that’s what everyone was doing, and these things take time and the No. 1 priority was saving peoples’ lives."^[5]

Cuomo's senior advisor Rich Azzopardi said on February 17, "Mr. Kim is lying about his conversation with Governor Cuomo Thursday night. I know because I was one of three other people in the room when the phone call occurred. At no time did anyone threaten to 'destroy' anyone with their 'wrath' nor engage in a 'coverup.' That's beyond the pale and is unfortunately part of a years-long pattern of lies by Mr. Kim against this administration. We did ask for Mr. Kim to do the honorable thing and put out a truthful statement after he told the Governor he was misquoted in a news article, which he said he tried to correct but the reporter refused. Kim said he would correct the story and then broke his word."^[44]

On February 27, 2021, Cuomo said, “I never made advances toward Ms. Bennett nor did I ever intend to act in any way that was inappropriate. The last thing I would ever have wanted was to make her feel any of the things that are being reported.”^[45]^[46]

Cuomo released the following statement on February 28, 2021:^[7]

“

Questions have been raised about some of my past interactions with people in the office.

I never intended to offend anyone or cause any harm. I spend most of my life at work and colleagues are often also personal friends.

At work sometimes I think I am being playful and make jokes that I think are funny. I do, on occasion, tease people in what I think is a good natured way. I do it in public and in private. You have seen me do it at briefings hundreds of times. I have teased people about their personal lives, their relationships, about getting married or not getting married. I mean no offense and only attempt to add some levity and banter to what is a very serious business.

I now understand that my interactions may have been insensitive or too personal and that some of my comments, given my position, made others feel in ways I never intended. I acknowledge some of the things I have said have been misinterpreted as an unwanted flirtation. To the extent anyone felt that way, I am truly sorry about that.

To be clear I never inappropriately touched anybody and I never propositioned anybody and I never intended to make anyone feel uncomfortable, but these are allegations that New Yorkers deserve answers to.

That’s why I have asked for an outside, independent review that looks at these allegations.

Separately, my office has heard anecdotally that some people have reached out to Ms. Bennett to express displeasure about her coming forward. My message to anyone doing that is you have misjudged what matters to me and my administration and you should stop now – period.^[10]

”

Elected officials' responses to resignation

Below is a sampling of responses to Cuomo's resignation from prominent federal and state elected officials.^[47]

Officials reacting to resignation
Name	Date	Quote
U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D)	August 10, 2021	"First, I want to commend the brave women who stepped forward and courageously told their stories. There is no place for sexual harassment, and today’s announcement by Governor Cuomo to resign was the right decision for the good of the people of New York."^[47]
U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D)	August 10, 2021	"First and foremost, I want to thank the incredibly courageous women who came forward and shared their stories. They are the true public servants here. New York now has a chance to move forward and build a new culture of leadership."^[47]
U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik (R)	August 10, 2021	"New Yorkers have lived for far too long under the Worst Governor in America’s corrupt and criminal tenure. This resignation is long past overdue. Governor Cuomo needs to be arrested and prosecuted for sexual harassment, sexual assault, and sexual abuse. Governor Cuomo also needs to be arrested and prosecuted for his criminal acts covering up the tragic deaths of our most vulnerable seniors in nursing homes."^[47]
Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul (D)	August 10, 2021	"I agree with Governor Cuomo's decision to step down. It is the right thing to do and in the best interest of New Yorkers. As someone who has served at all levels of government and is next in the line of succession, I am prepared to lead as New York State’s 57th Governor."^[48]
New York Attorney General Letitia James (D)	August 10, 2021	"Today closes a sad chapter for all of New York, but it’s an important step towards justice. I thank Governor Cuomo for his contributions to our state. The ascension of our Lieutenant Governor, Kathy Hochul, will help New York enter a new day."^[47]
New York Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins (D)	August 10, 2021	"Today is a somber day for the state of New York, but one that demonstrates our ability to build a more accountable system of government. Governor Cuomo’s resignation opens the door to a restorative future. We all owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to the courageous women who came forward and helped pave the way for safer and more inclusive work spaces."^[47]
New York Assembly Minority Leader William Barclay (R)	August 10, 2021	"Stepping down was inevitable, overdue and the only path forward for Andrew Cuomo. The scandals surrounding the governor’s office have generated one of the darkest periods in state history, and it’s fortunate the governor finally came to the realization that his resignation is clearly in the best interest of New York. What’s next for Andrew Cuomo remains to be seen, with multiple investigations on a number of issues still active."^[47]

Elected officials' responses to allegations

Calls for resignation or impeachment

The following tables contain quotes from select federal and state officials as well as state legislative leaders and those involved in the events above. Additional members of Congress and New York officials calling for impeachment or resignation are listed below the tables.^[49]

Officials calling for impeachment or resignation, February-March 2021
Name	Date	Quote
Assembly Minority Leader William Barclay (R)	February 18, 2021	A group of Republicans in the state Assembly planned to introduce a resolution to form an impeachment commission. Barclay said, "The Cuomo Administration’s nursing home cover-up is one of the most alarming scandals we’ve seen in state government. ... Intentionally withholding critical information from the public, underreporting fatality numbers by 50 percent and the recent revelation they hid the truth to avoid a federal Department of Justice investigation are among the factors that raise the serious possibility of criminality. It is incumbent upon the Legislature to undertake a comprehensive, bipartisan review of the Cuomo Administration’s policies, decisions and actions on this matter and render a decision on what steps must be taken to hold the governor accountable."^[50]
State Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins (D)	March 7, 2021	"New York is still in the midst of this pandemic and is still facing the societal, health and economic impacts of it. We need to govern without daily distraction. For the good of the state Governor Cuomo must resign."^[51]
New York Mayor Bill de Blasio (D)	March 11, 2021	"The specific allegation that the governor called an employee of his, someone who he had power over, called her to a private place and then sexually assaulted her is absolutely unacceptable. It is disgusting to me. He can no longer serve as governor. It's as simple as that."^[52]

Officials calling for impeachment or resignation, August 2021
Name	Date	Quote
President Joe Biden (D)	August 3, 2021	"I think he [Cuomo] should resign. I understand that the state legislature may decide to impeach. I don't know that for a fact."^[53]
U.S. Sens. Charles Schumer (D) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D)	August 3, 2021	"No elected official is above the law. The people of New York deserve better leadership in the governor's office. We continue to believe that the Governor should resign."^[54]
U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.)	August 3, 2021	"As always, I commend the women who came forward to speak their truth. Recognizing his love of New York and the respect for the office he holds, I call upon the Governor to resign."^[55]
Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie (D)	August 3, 2021	"After our conference this afternoon to discuss the Attorney General’s report concerning sexual harassment allegations against Governor Cuomo, it is abundantly clear to me that the Governor has lost the confidence of the Assembly Democratic majority and that he can no longer remain in office."^[56]

Additional calls for impeachment or resignation

Members of Congress

At least 27 members of Congress issued statements calling for Cuomo to resign or be impeached. See this spreadsheet, compiled by New York Magazine contributor Peter Sterne and others, for references.^[49]

Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D)
Rep. Yvette Clarke (D)
Rep. Antonio Delgado (D)
Rep. Adriano Espaillat (D)
Rep. Andrew Garbarino (R)
Rep. Brian Higgins (D)
Rep. Christopher Jacobs (R)
Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D)
Rep. John Katko (R)
Rep. Mondaire Jones (D)
Rep. Joseph Morelle (D)
Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R)
Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D)
Rep. Sean Maloney (D)
Rep. Greg Meeks (D)
Rep. Grace Meng (D)
Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D)
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D)
Rep. Tom Reed (R)
Rep. Kathleen Rice (D)
Rep. Elise Stefanik (R)
Rep. Tom Suozzi (D)
Rep. Claudia Tenney (R)
Rep. Paul Tonko (D)
Rep. Ritchie Torres (D)
Rep. Nydia Velazquez (D)
Rep. Lee Zeldin (R)

State senators

The following state senators called for impeachment or resignation. See this spreadsheet, compiled by New York Magazine contributor Peter Sterne and others, for references.^[49]

Sen. Joseph Addabbo (D)
Sen. Fred Akshar (R)
Sen. Brian Benjamin (D)
Sen. Alessandra Biaggi (D)
Sen. George Borrello (R)
Sen. Philip Boyle (R)
Sen. Neil Breslin (D)
Sen. Jabari Brisport (D)
Sen. John Brooks (D)
Sen. Samra Brouk (D)
Sen. Leroy Comrie (D)
Sen. Jeremy Cooney (D)
Sen. Patrick Gallivan (R)
Sen. James Gaughran (D)
Sen. Michael Gianaris (D)
Sen. Andrew S. Gounardes (D)
Sen. Joseph Griffo (R)
Sen. Peter Harckham (D)
Sen. Pamela Helming (R)
Sen. Michelle Hinchey (D)
Sen. Brad Hoylman (D)
Sen. Robert Jackson (D)
Sen. Daphne Jordan (R)
Sen. Todd Kaminsky (D)
Sen. Anna Kaplan (D)
Sen. Tim Kennedy (D)
Sen. Liz Krueger (D)
Sen. Andrew Lanza (R)
Sen. John Liu (D)
Sen. John Mannion (D)
Sen. Mike Martucci (R)
Sen. Mario Mattera (R)
Sen. Rachel May (D)
Sen. Shelley Mayer (D)
Sen. Zellnor Myrie (D)
Sen. Peter Oberacker (R)
Sen. Thomas O'Mara (R)
Sen. Robert Ortt (R)
Sen. Anthony Palumbo (R)
Sen. Jessica Ramos (D)
Sen. Edward Rath III (R)
Sen. Elijah Reichlin-Melnick (D)
Sen. Patricia Ritchie (R)
Sen. J. Gustavo Rivera (D)
Sen. Sean Ryan (D)
Sen. Julia Salazar (D)
Sen. James Sanders (D)
Sen. Diane Savino (D)
Sen. Susan Serino (R)
Sen. José Serrano (D)
Sen. James Skoufis (D)
Sen. Toby Ann Stavisky (D)
Sen. Dan Stec (R)
Sen. James Tedisco (R)
Sen. Kevin Thomas (D)
Sen. Alexis Weik (R)

State Assembly members

The following state Assembly members called for resignation or impeachment. See this spreadsheet, compiled by New York Magazine contributor Peter Sterne and others, for references.^[49]

Assemb. Thomas Abinanti (D)
Assemb. Stacey G. Pheffer Amato (D)
Assemb. Khaleel Anderson (D)
Assemb. Joe Angelino (R)
Assemb. Jacob Ashby (R)
Assemb. Brian Barnwell (D)
Assemb. Didi Barrett (D)
Assemb. Charles Barron (D)
Assemb. Rodneyse Bichotte (D)
Assemb. Ken Blankenbush (R)
Assemb. Karl Brabenec (R)
Assemb. Harry Bronson (D)
Assemb. Keith Brown (R)
Assemb. Chris Burdick (D)
Assemb. Kenneth Burgos (D)
Assemb. Patrick Burke (D)
Assemb. Marianne Buttenschon (D)
Assemb. Kevin M. Byrne (R)
Assemb. Marjorie Byrnes (R)
Assemb. Kevin Cahill (D)
Assemb. Robert C. Carroll (D)
Assemb. Sarah Clark (D)
Assemb. William Colton (D)
Assemb. William Conrad (D)
Assemb. Catalina Cruz (D)
Assemb. Michael Cusick (D)
Assemb. Steven Cymbrowitz (D)
Assemb. Maritza Davila (D)
Assemb. Joseph DeStefano (R)
Assemb. Jeffrey Dinowitz (D)
Assemb. David DiPietro (R)
Assemb. Michael Durso (R)
Assemb. Simcha Eichenstein (D)
Assemb. Harvey Epstein (D)
Assemb. Patricia Fahy (D)
Assemb. Charles Fall (D)
Assemb. Nathalia Fernandez (D)
Assemb. Michael Fitzpatrick (R)
Assemb. Christopher Friend (R)
Assemb. Mathylde Frontus (D)
Assemb. Emily Gallagher (D)
Assemb. Jeff Gallahan (R)
Assemb. Jarett Gandolfo (R)
Assemb. Jodi Giglio (R)
Assemb. Joseph Giglio (R)
Assemb. Deborah Glick (D)
Assemb. Jessica González-Rojas (D)
Assemb. Andrew Goodell (R)
Assemb. Richard Gottfried (D)
Assemb. Judy Griffin (D)
Assemb. Aileen Gunther (D)
Assemb. Stephen Hawley (R)
Assemb. Andrew Hevesi (D)
Assemb. Pamela Hunter (D)
Assemb. Alicia Hyndman (D)
Assemb. Chantel Jackson (D)
Assemb. Jonathan Jacobson (D)
Assemb. Kimberly Jean-Pierre (D)
Assemb. Josh Jensen (R)
Assemb. Billy Jones (D)
Assemb. Anna Kelles (D
Assemb. Ron Kim (D)
Assemb. Kieran Michael Lalor (R)
Assemb. Michael Lawler (R)
Assemb. John Lemondes Jr. (R)
Assemb. Jennifer Lunsford (D)
Assemb. Donna Lupardo (D)
Assemb. Zohran Kwame Mamdani (D)
Assemb. Brian Manktelow (R)
Assemb. John T. McDonald III (D)
Assemb. David McDonough (R)
Assemb. Karen McMahon (D)
Assemb. Demond Meeks (D)
Assemb. John Mikulin (R)
Assemb. Brian Miller (R)
Assemb. Melissa Miller-Byrnes (R)
Assemb. Marcela Mitaynes (D)
Assemb. Michael Montesano (R)
Assemb. Angelo J. Morinello (R)
Assemb. Yuh-Line Niou (D)
Assemb. Catherine Nolan (D)
Assemb. Michael J. Norris (R)
Assemb. Daniel O'Donnell (D)
Assemb. Steven Otis (D))
Assemb. Philip Palmesano (R)
Assemb. Amy Paulin (D)
Assemb. Crystal Peoples-Stokes (D)
Assemb. N. Nick Perry (D)
Assemb. Victor Pichardo (D)
Assemb. Dan Quart (D)
Assemb. Edward Ra (R)
Assemb. Michael Reilly (R)
Assemb. Karines Reyes (D)
Assemb. Diana Richardson (D)
Assemb. Jonathan Rivera (D)
Assemb. Robert Rodriguez (D)
Assemb. Carmen N. De La Rosa (D)
Assemb. Daniel Rosenthal (D)
Assemb. Linda Rosenthal (D)
Assemb. Nily Rozic (D)
Assemb. John J. Salka (R)
Assemb. Angelo Santabarbara (D)
Assemb. Nader Sayegh (D)
Assemb. Colin Schmitt (R)
Assemb. Amanda Septimo (D)
Assemb. Jo Anne Simon (D)
Assemb. Matt Simpson (R)
Assemb. Douglas Smith (R)
Assemb. Robert Smullen (R)
Assemb. Phara Souffrant Forrest (D)
Assemb. Phil Steck (D)
Assemb. Christopher Tague (R)
Assemb. Michael Tannousis (R)
Assemb. Alfred Taylor (D)
Assemb. Fred Thiele (D)
Assemb. Mark Walczyk (R)
Assemb. Monica P. Wallace (D)
Assemb. Mary Beth Walsh (R)
Assemb. Helene Weinstein (D)
Assemb. Carrie Woerner (D)
Assemb. Stefani Zinerman (D)

Support for Cuomo

"New Yorkers know it was the Governor who worked night and day to get them through the worst of this pandemic and, from the strongest gun safety laws in the nation to a $15 minimum wage and free college tuition, he has a nationally significant record of progressive accomplishments that Washington is trying to match."^[57] — Rich Azzopardi, senior adviser to Cuomo

Gubernatorial resignations in the United States

See also United States gubernatorial resignations

Between 1776 and August 2021, 218 state governors had resigned before the expiration of their term. Andrew Johnson (D) resigned as Governor of Tennessee on two separate occasions, so there have been 219 gubernatorial resignations.

Of the 219 gubernatorial resignations, 76% (166) took place because the governor was elected or appointed to another office, 7% (16) took place following allegations of misconduct, and 17% (37) took place for various personal reasons, such as illness or policy disputes with the state legislature.

As of Cuomo's resignation, there had been nine governors of New York who resigned: six to take another office and three following allegations of misconduct or inappropriate behavior.

2021: Andrew Cuomo (D), who was first elected in 2010, announced he would resign effective August 24, 2021, amid allegations of sexual harassment and inappropriate behavior.^[1]

2008: Eliot Spitzer (D), who was elected in 2006, resigned amid allegations of misconduct. David Paterson (D) succeeded him.

1973: Nelson Rockefeller (R), who was first elected in 1958, resigned after he was nominated as Vice President of the United States by President Gerald Ford (R). Malcolm Wilson (R) succeeded him.

1942: Herbert H. Lehman (D), who was first elected in 1932, resigned after he was appointed as director of Foreign Relief and Rehabilitation Operations. Charles Poletti (D) served the remaining month of Lehman's term.

1913: William Sulzer (D), who was elected the previous year, resigned after impeachment proceedings were opened against him stemming from allegations that he had committed campaign finance fraud. Martin H. Glynn (D) succeeded him.

1910: Charles Evans Hughes (R), who was first elected in 1906, resigned after he was appointed to the Supreme Court of the United States by President William Howard Taft (R). Horace White (R) served the remaining three months of Hughes' gubernatorial term. Hughes served on the Court until 1916 and was appointed to the Court a second time as Chief Justice, serving from 1930 to 1941.

1885: Grover Cleveland (D), who was first elected in 1882, resigned after winning election as President of the United States the previous year. David Bennett Hill (D) succeeded Cleveland and won election to two full terms in 1885 and 1888. Cleveland was defeated in his 1888 presidential re-election bid but won re-election in 1892, becoming the only president in U.S. history to serve two non-consecutive terms.

1829: Martin Van Buren (D), who had been elected the previous year, resigned after two months in office after he was appointed U.S. Secretary of State by President Andrew Jackson (D). Enos T. Throop (D) succeeded Van Buren and won election to a full term in 1830.

1817: Daniel D. Tompkins (Democratic-Republican), who was first elected in 1807, resigned after winning election as Vice President of the United States on a ticket with James Monroe (Democratic-Republican) the previous year. John Tayler (Democratic-Republican) served the remaining four months of Tompkins' term.

Impeachment process in New York

On March 2, 2021, a group of six Democratic lawmakers in New York issued a letter calling for impeachment proceedings against Cuomo. "The accounts of sexual harassment from the women who have courageously come forward confirm what many in Albany have known for years: that Governor Cuomo uses his power to belittle, bully and harass his employees and colleagues," the members wrote.^[58]

The impeachment process in New York starts in the state Assembly with the introduction of an article of impeachment. An official is impeached if a majority of the chamber supports the article.^[59]

An impeachment trial then takes place in the state Senate. The court is composed of most or all court of appeals judges, most or all state senators, and the Senate president. If the governor or lieutenant governor is being impeached, neither the temporary president of the Senate nor the lieutenant governor may serve on the impeachment court. A conviction requires support of two-thirds of the court. Conviction entails either removal from office or removal from office as well as disqualification from holding office or state employment in the future.^[59]

What happens if the governor resigns or is impeached?

Article IV of the New York Constitution says the following:

“

In case of the removal of the governor from office or of his or her death or resignation, the lieutenant-governor shall become governor for the remainder of the term.

In case the governor-elect shall decline to serve or shall die, the lieutenant-governor-elect shall become governor for the full term.

In case the governor is impeached, is absent from the state or is otherwise unable to discharge the powers and duties of the office of governor, the lieutenant-governor shall act as governor until the inability shall cease or until the term of the governor shall expire.^[60]^[10]

”

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