New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo resigns over sexual harassment scandal, will leave office in 2 weeks

Although he easily won reelection twice, Cuomo long alienated many Democrats and progressives in the state.

Democratic state lawmakers also have been resentful for Cuomo’s past tacit alliance with a small clique Democratic senators who for years effectively handed control of the state Senate to Republicans even though Democrats held a majority of seats.

For his entire political career, Cuomo has had a micromanaging, take-no-prisoners manner in dealing with opponents and would-be allies who are slow to bend to his will.

That style was seen in full effect in Cuomo’s dealing with Assembly member Ron Kim of Queens, a Democrat who said in April the governor loudly lambasted him in a phone call to his home and threatened to “destroy” him over Kim’s criticism about the lack of disclosure on Covid-related death data.

Kim and other lawmakers had been angered after hearing from a top aide to the governor, Melissa DeRosa, that his administration had withheld from data about deaths from Covid of nursing home residents. DeRosa claimed at the time that the data was kept hidden to avoid having it “used against us” by federal prosecutors under the command of Trump‘s attorney general, William Barr.

Even as Cuomo adamantly denied Kim’s account of that call, he accused Kim of “unethical” conduct by supporting the owners of nail salons while the legislature discussed adopting reforms of the industry six years ago.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, who himself has long been a whipping boy for the governor, called the phone call “classic Andrew Cuomo.”

“A lot of people in New York state have received those phone calls,” de Blasio said during an MSNBC interview.

“The bullying is nothing new. I believe Ron Kim and it’s very, very sad, no public servant, no person who’s telling the truth, should be treated that way. The threats, the belittling, the demand that someone change their statement right that moment … many, many times I’ve heard that and I know a lot of other people in this state have heard that.”

The controversy over the phone call erupted shortly before former Cuomo aide Boylan resurrected her previous claims that he had sexually harassed her.

This is breaking news. Check back for updates.

Article source: https://www.cnbc.com/2021/08/10/cuomo-resigns-as-governor-of-new-york-over-sexual-harassment-scandal.html