Well, the biggest news this week is still about Andrew Cuomo, so let’s start there, shall we?
Andrew Cuomo and the terrible, horrible, no-good really bad week, part 2
You may remember that last week we talked about the myriad of scandals surrounding Governor Andrew Cuomo of New York. Since then, at least two more women have come forward accusing the governor of inappropriate conduct.
In the wake of these allegations, most of New York’s state assembly and congressional delegation have begun calling for Cuomo’s resignation.
Among those calling for the governor’s resignation are Democratic Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Jamal Bowman, who issued the following statement.
Joining the calls for resignation are Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., who make up the senate delegation from the state. Republican Reps. Lee Zeldin, Elise Stefanik and Claudia Tenney have also joined their colleagues in calling for Cuomo to step down.
For those interested, New York magazine is keeping a running total of the calls for resignation here.
At time of writing on March 14, Cuomo has maintained that he will not resign or step aside. Instead, he’s accused those calling for his resignation of “playing politics” and “bowing to cancel culture.”
Cuomo has also said that the allegations against him are because he’s not part of the “political club,” though he’s been in New York politics for more than 40 years. His father, Mario Cuomo, also served as governor of the state from 1983 to 1994.
It should be noted that when former New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman was accused by four women of sexual misconduct, Gov. Cuomo was among those who called for his resignation.
“No one is above the law, including New York’s top legal officer,” Cuomo said at the time. “I will be asking an appropriate New York District Attorney to commence an immediate investigation, and proceed as the facts merit. My personal opinion is that, given the damning pattern of facts and corroboration laid out in the article, I do not believe it is possible for Eric Schneiderman to continue to serve as Attorney General, and for the good of the office, he should resign,” he added.
On Thursday, New York state lawmakers opened an impeachment inquiry into Cuomo’s actions, while state Attorney General Leticia James has opened an independent investigation.
In other news
- President Biden’s COVID-19 relief bill passed through both houses of congress and was signed by the president this week. Direct stimulus payments have already started hitting bank accounts – use this tool to see if you’re eligible.
- In a speech this week, Biden announced that he is directing states to make coronavirus vaccines available to all adults by May 1. The administration will also be providing more avenues for people to find available vaccinations.
Aside from the Cuomo stuff, this actually wasn’t a particularly exciting week politically. Updates on that situation will be included here as they come out, but next week we’ll be back to more general happenings!
