Biden breaks silence on Andrew Cuomo sexual harassment allegations
So far, seven individuals have levelled allegations of sexual misconduct against Governor Cuomo
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Your support makes all the difference.President Joe Biden on Sunday refrained from calling for the resignation of Andrew Cuomo who has been accused of sexual harassment by multiple women, saying he wants to see what comes off an investigation against the New York governor.
“I think the investigation is underway and we should see what it brings us,” President Biden told reporters on the White House south lawn as he publicly weighed in, for the first time, on allegations of sexual misconduct against Governor Cuomo.
Earlier on Sunday, House speaker Nancy Pelosi also adopted a similar position. “The governor should look inside his heart — he loves New York — to see if he can govern effectively,” Ms Pelosi said. “And that could be one of the considerations that he has.”
President Biden and vice president Kamala Harris have so far shied away from explicitly commenting on the harassment allegations against the New York governor even as the nation’s top congressional Democrats joined the growing caucus of lawmakers demanding his resignation.
On Friday, Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer and senator Kirsten Gillibrand joined a New York congressional delegation demanding that he step down. They said: “due to the multiple, credible sexual harassment and misconduct allegations, it is clear that Governor Cuomo has lost the confidence of his governing partners and the people of New York.”
Follow Trump and Biden news live: President speaks out on Cuomo
Their statement followed a wave of calls on Friday from more than a dozen House Democrats from New York, including US representatives Jerry Nadler and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, as well as 121 members of New York state assembly and Senate, including 65 Democrats and 56 Republicans.
In a joint statement, Congressman Jamaal Bowman and congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez said lawmakers “believe these women” and reporting that has “concluded that Governor Cuomo can no longer effectively lead in the face of so many challenges.”
Despite mounting pressure to resign, Governor Cuomo made it clear that he had no intention to quit his position as he insisted that he would not bow down to the “cancel culture”.
Earlier this month, he had apologised for “making anyone feel uncomfortable” while maintaining that he “never touched anyone inappropriately.”
So far, six women have come forward with highly detailed accounts alleging sexual misconduct by the governor and there is a report of an accusation by one unnamed individual. The allegations have prompted an investigation by state attorney general Letitia James and an impeachment inquiry by the New York state assembly.
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