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Calls are growing from Democratic lawmakers for New York Governor Andrew Cuomo to resign as two more women—Karen Hinton and Ana Liss—have emerged to accuse him of sexual harassment pushing the number to five women who have made similar charges.
Hinton, a former pres aide, told the Washington Post that Cuomo embraced her as she tried to leave his reportedly dimly lit hotel room in 2000 and grabbed her pulling her back to him when she tried to pull away.
Liss, another ex-aide, told the Wall Street Journal that, in 2014, Cuomo grabbed her by the waist and started kissing her.
These new allegations by Liss and Hinton come after three women, Lindsey Boylan, a former state economic development official; Charlotte Bennett, a former aide to Cuomo; and Anna Ruch all accused Cuomo of sexual harassment.
On Friday, New York State lawmakers approved a bill to strip Cuomo of the temporary powers he was given to combat the pandemic.
The new allegations led to new calls from Democratic heavyweights in New York calling on the governor to resign.
One of the latest to call for Governor Cuomo’s resignation is State Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, who last week had stated if the number of women grew she would call for Cuomo’s resignation.
“Every day there is another account that is drawing away from the business of government. We have allegations about sexual harassment, a toxic work environment, the loss of credibility surrounding the Covid-19 nursing home data and questions about the construction of a major infrastructure project,” Stewart-Cousins said in a Sunday afternoon statement. “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 Gov. Cuomo must resign.”
New York Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie is also calling on Cuomo to resign.
“The allegations pertaining to the Governor that have been reported in recent weeks have been deeply disturbing, and have no place whatsoever in government, the workplace or anywhere else,” said Heastie. “I too share the sentiment of Senate Majority Leader Stewart-Cousins regarding the Governor’s ability to continue to lead this state. We have many challenges to address, and I think it is time for the Governor to seriously consider whether he can effectively meet the needs of the people of New York. “
New York Comptroller and Mayoral Candidate Scott M. Stringer also renewed his call for Cuomo to resign on Sunday, after the new accusations by Hinton and Kiss surfaced.
“Almost every day now brings with it a new report of unacceptable behavior by Governor Cuomo,” Stringer said. “The totality and seriousness of allegations that have been made against the Governor, some of the most egregious of which have not been denied, along with the statements issued today by our legislative leaders, makes it abundantly clear that the Governor’s ability to lead during this critical moment has been fundamentally compromised. For the good of New Yorkers, Governor Cuomo must resign—and if he does not step down, the Legislature should swiftly begin impeachment proceedings to remove the Governor from office.”
