© BloombergAlexandria Ocasio-Cortez
(Bloomberg) -- New York Representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Jerry Nadler and other members of the state's congressional delegation called on Governor Andrew Cuomo to resign, leaving him increasingly isolated as he faces allegations of sexual assault and harassment.
Ocasio-Cortez and Nadler were joined by at least 11 of the 19 Democratic U.S. House members from New York, including recently elected progressives as well as veteran establishment figures in the party. Cuomo also is facing an impeachment inquiry by Democratic lawmakers in the state legislature.
"As members of the New York delegation to the U.S. House of Representatives, we believe these women, we believe the reporting, we believe the attorney general, and we believe the 55 members of the New York State legislature, including the State Senate Majority Leader, who have concluded that Governor Cuomo can no longer effectively lead in the face of so many challenges," Ocasio-Cortez wrote in a joint statement with fellow progressive Representative Jamaal Bowman.
© Source: BloombergAlexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Andrew Cuomo Source: Joshua Roberts/Bloomberg
Nadler, one of the most senior members of the New York delegation, said in a statement that he supported the women who've made accusations against Cuomo. "The repeated allegations against the governor, and the manner in which he has responded to them, have made it impossible for him to continue to govern at this point," Nadler said.
The state's two Democratic senators, Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand have called for an independent investigation of the allegations against the Democratic governor. Schumer called the latest allegations -- that Cuomo reached under a woman's blouse and groped her in the Executive Mansion -- "nauseating," but neither he nor Gillibrand have gone so far as to seek his resignation.
© BloombergAlexandria Ocasio-Cortez
Cuomo has refused to relinquish his seat. On Sunday he said there is "no way" he would resign from office as the number of Democrats in the state legislature demanding he step down was growing to 59 as of Thursday.
State Attorney General Letitia James has appointed an outside attorney to investigate the claims made against Cuomo by six women, including several former aides.
Read More: Cuomo Clings to Power as He Stares Down Impeachment Inquiry
On Thursday the state Assembly's judiciary committee announced it would launch an impeachment investigation into the misconduct claims that could lead to his removal.
Representative Kathleen Rice was the first House Democrat to call for Cuomo's resignation. She was joined on Friday by Representatives Carolyn Maloney, Yvette Clarke, Adriano Espaillat, Nydia Velazquez, Sean Maloney, Brian Higgins, Mondaire Jones, Antonio Delgado and Grace Meng, as well as Nadler, Bowman and Ocasio-Cortez.
(Updates with Nadler statement, additional lawmakers beginning in fourth paragraph. An earlier version corrected the spelling of Cuomo's name in second subhead.)
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