Cuomo Defies NY Democratic Chairman, Refuses To Resign

Despite calls by prominent Democrats to resign – including President Biden, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo is digging in his heels, according to New York State Democratic Party Chairman Jay Jacobs – who said he’d previously stood behind the embattled governor throughout a sexual harassment investigation.

Jacobs told Spectrum News that he expects lawmakers will impeach and remove Cuomo, and that Jacobs had been trying to persuade Cuomo to step down since New York Attorney General Letitia James issued her report. That report concluded that Cuomo violated federal and state law in harassing 11 women and creating a hostile work environment. –Bloomberg

Jacobs said he hadn’t planned to make a public statement, but Cuomo’s refusal to resign following a phone call forced his hand.

“I was working very hard to accomplish that and I got to a point I wasn’t making headway,” Jacobs said in a statement to Spectrum. “Now, however, it appears that contrary to what I have advised, the governor may seek to prolong the current situation. I have called the governor this afternoon to inform him of my decision to issue a statement.”

“The governor has lost his ability to govern, both practically and morally,” reads Jacobs’ statement. “The party and this state will not be well served by a long, protracted removal process designed only to delay what is now, clearly, inevitable.”