Andrew Cuomo has announced his resignation as Governor of New York State. This will take effect in 14 days, at which point Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul will take the reins. Hochul, 62, will become the state’s first female governor, and will serve through 2022.
While Cuomo denied the multiple allegations of sexual harassment against him, he concluded he should step aside to avoid impeachment hearings.
Cuomo began his Tuesday announcement by stating that “The most serious allegations made against me had no credible factual basis in the report, and there is a difference between ‘alleged improper conduct’ and concluding sexual harassment.”
“Now, don’t get me wrong,” he continued. “This is not to say that there are not eleven women who I truly offended. There are. And for that, I deeply, deeply apologize. I thought a hug, and putting my arm around a staff person while taking a picture was friendly, but she found it to be too forward. I kissed a woman on the cheek at a wedding, and I thought I was being nice, but she felt that it was too aggressive. I have slipped, and called people ‘honey,’ ‘sweetheart’ and ‘darling’; I meant it to be endearing, but women found it dated, and offensive.”
“I take full responsibility for my actions,” he said, adding that he’s been “too familiar with people” and that he’s always hugged and kissed people casually, both women and men.
Andrew Cuomo first became governor after wining the gubernatorial election in 2010, and was re-elected in 2014 and again in 2018.
Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, is a former attorney who’s served as Lieutenant Governor of NY State since 2015. In 2011, she became the first Democrat to represent the district of Erie County in 40 years. Learn more about her at kathyhochul.com.
This article was first published on ilovetheupperwestside.com.
