© BloombergAndrew Cuomo, governor of New York, speaks during a news conference in the Red Room of the New York State Capitol Building in Albany, New York, U.S., on Sunday, May 17, 2020. Cuomo pleaded on Sunday for more New Yorkers to get tested for the coronavirus as the state reopens for business, engaging in a bit of political theater as he underwent a nasal swab test himself at his daily briefing.
(Bloomberg) -- More than 55 Democratic New York state lawmakers jointly called for Governor Andrew Cuomo to resign over sexual-harassment allegations, as Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie called a meeting to discuss "potential paths forward."
"In light of the Governor's admission of inappropriate behavior and the findings of altered data on nursing home COVID-19 deaths, he has lost the confidence of the public and the state legislature, rendering him ineffective in this time of most urgent need," the lawmakers said in a statement on Thursday.
Cuomo, a third-term governor, had said on March 7 there is "no way" he would resign. Two days later, allegations from a sixth accuser surfaced in the Albany Times Union, and details revealed Wednesday allege that the governor aggressively groped her after she had been summoned to the Executive Mansion late last year.
The governor, in response to the paper, denied making any "inappropriate advances."
Should he continue to refuse to resign, the legislature could consider impeachment proceedings. A majority vote in the Assembly would be needed for the Senate to conduct a trial.
Mayor Bill de Blasio, one of the governor's biggest Democratic critics, said Cuomo "can no longer serve as governor."
"This most recent report is just disqualifying," de Blasio said Thursday at a briefing. "He just can't serve as governor any more."
(Updates with mayor's comments in last paragraph)
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