Cuomo’s Future Hangs On Democrats’ Resolve – OpEd
By Jeff Charles*
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s political future is looking quite bleak as calls for his resignation continue to increase in the wake of a damning report alleging that he engaged in several instances of sexual harassment. What’s notable about this torrid affair is that neither prominent New York Democrat officials nor the activist media have bothered to protect him, as is their typical modus operandi.
It seems clear at this point that the embattled governor has no intention of stepping down even though calls for his resignation come from individuals as high up as President Joe Biden. If Cuomo is going to leave his position, he will have to be dragged out kicking and screaming. But do New York Democrats have the political will to make this happen?
New York Dems Support Impeachment
As it turns out, most of New York’s lawmakers are on board with the idea of initiating impeachment proceedings against the governor if he refuses to leave willingly. Associated Press reported:
“At least 86 of the body’s 150 members have said publicly or told The AP that they favored initiating the process of ousting the third-term Democratic governor if he doesn’t quit. It takes a simple majority to authorize an impeachment trial.”
It appears these individuals do not believe Cuomo’s claims that he never made unwanted sexual advances. Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie released a statement on Tuesday indicating that the legislature is looking into the matter. “We will now undertake an in-depth examination of this report and its corresponding exhibits … we will have more to say in the very near future,” he confirmed.
The AP also noted that “district attorneys in Manhattan, suburban Westchester and Nassau counties and the state capital Albany said they asked for investigative materials from the inquiry.” Attorney General Letitia James’ report revealed that Cuomo had engaged in activities violating civil sexual harassment laws, which means local prosecutors could bring cases against him.
On Tuesday, shortly after James’ report was released, Democrats in the state assembly reportedly “debated virtually for hours” about “whether to impeach the governor now, wait to see whether he resigns, or give the Judiciary Committee time to wrap up its wide-ranging investigation” into issues related to the nursing home scandal.
Will They Or Won’t They?
If the Assembly agrees to initiate the impeachment process, a trial would be held. The court would include members of the state Senate with the exception of Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins and the seven judges serving on the Court of Appeals. The proceedings would involve 69 individuals in total. A two-thirds majority would be required to oust Cuomo.
It is still not easy at this point to determine whether New York Democrats would be willing to launch an impeachment effort against the governor. While they seem to be talking a good game, politics could easily motivate them to reconsider. Moreover, even if they did initiate the proceedings, there is no guarantee that they will vote to remove him from office.
Still, it is worth remembering that at this point, there seems to be a general consensus among Democrats that Cuomo needs to start packing it in. The evidence against him and the nursing home scandal has to be giving the left-wing establishment in the state quite a headache. For them, it just might be easier to remove the source of the headache rather than spend time and resources shielding him from consequences.
*About the author: Socio-political Correspondent at LibertyNation.com. A self-confessed news and political junkie, Jeff’s writing has been featured in Small Business Trends, Business2Community, and The Huffington Post. Born in Southern California and having experienced the 1992 L.A. Riots up close and personal, Jeff’s insights are informed by his experiences as a black man and a conservative.Race Relations & Media Affairs Correspondent
Source: This article was published by Liberty Nation
