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Schumer, Gillibrand renew calls for Cuomo to resign after damning sexual harassment report

03 August 2021
Dan Ackermann

Top New York Democratic lawmakers, including Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, renewed calls for Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) to resign on Tuesday after an independent investigation concluded that he sexually harassed multiple women in violation of federal and state law.

Why it matters: Cuomo had previously urged those calling for his resignation to wait for the results of the investigation overseen by New York Attorney General Letitia James. But following the release of the investigation's report, he refused to step down, saying "the facts are much different than what has been portrayed."

  • "I want you to know directly from me that I never touched anyone inappropriately or made inappropriate sexual advances. ... That is just not who I am, and that's not who I have ever been," he added.

What they're saying: Even before the sexual misconduct investigation had concluded, nearly every prominent New York Democrat had called for the governor to resign. Those calls continued on Tuesday:

  • Schumer and Gillibrand: "Today's report from New York State Attorney General substantiated and corroborated the allegations of the brave women who came forward to share their stories — and we commend the women for doing so."
  • "No elected official is above the law. The people of New York deserve better leadership in the governor’s office. We continue to believe that the Governor should resign," they said said in a joint statement.
  • Reps. Tom Suozzi, Hakeem Jeffries and Gregory Meeks:"We commend the brave women who came forward and spoke truth to power."
  • "The time has come for Governor Andrew Cuomo to do the right thing for the people of New York State and resign," the three Democrats from New York continued in a joint statement
  • Mayor Bill de Blasio (D): "It is beyond clear that Andrew Cuomo is not fit to hold office and can no longer serve as Governor. He must resign, and if he continues to resist and attack the investigators who did their jobs, he should be impeached immediately."

Go deeper: New York AG finds Cuomo sexually harassed women, violated state and federal law

Transcripts show George Floyd told police "I can't breathe" over 20 times

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Newly released transcripts of bodycam footage from the Minneapolis Police Department show that George Floyd told officers he could not breathe more than 20 times in the moments leading up to his death.

Why it matters: Floyd's killing sparked a national wave of Black Lives Matter protests and an ongoing reckoning over systemic racism in the United States. The transcripts "offer one the most thorough and dramatic accounts" before Floyd's death, The New York Times writes.

The state of play: The transcripts were released as former officer Thomas Lane seeks to have the charges that he aided in Floyd's death thrown out in court, per the Times. He is one of four officers who have been charged.

  • The filings also include a 60-page transcript of an interview with Lane. He said he "felt maybe that something was going on" when asked if he believed that Floyd was having a medical emergency at the time.

What the transcripts say:

  • Floyd told the officers he was claustrophobic as they tried to get him into the squad car.
  • The transcripts also show Floyd saying, "Momma, I love you. Tell my kids I love them. I'm dead."
  • Former officer Derek Chauvin, who had his knee on Floyd's neck for over eight minutes, told Floyd, "Then stop talking, stop yelling, it takes a heck of a lot of oxygen to talk."

Read the transcripts via DocumentCloud.