North country reps call on Cuomo to resign, face impeachment in light of AG's sexual harassment report

Aug. 4—WATERTOWN — After the state attorney general announced Tuesday that her office's independent investigation found Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo sexually harassed multiple women and created a hostile work environment, multiple north country representatives called for the governor to resign.

New York's Attorney General Letitia A. James on Tuesday announced that her office's five-month investigation into the multiple public accusations made against the governor by former and current state employees had reached its conclusion. The investigation found Gov. Cuomo engaged in unwanted groping, kissing and hugging, and made inappropriate comments toward at least 11 women he worked with or near.

Gov. Cuomo rebutted the report Tuesday afternoon, saying his actions had been misinterpreted and the investigation was politicized and biased.

But the north country's state and federal elected officials were clear in their responses to the attorney general's report Tuesday — each one called for Gov. Cuomo to be removed from office or step down.

U.S. Rep. Elise M. Stefanik, R-Schuylerville, quickly called for the governor's arrest.

"No one is above the law and today justice must be served," Rep. Stefanik said in a statement sent moments after the attorney general's announcement. "Governor Cuomo must resign and be arrested immediately.

"President Joe Biden must immediately call for Cuomo's resignation," she added.

Later Tuesday, President Biden called for Gov. Cuomo's resignation amid the allegations.

Ms. James said Tuesday that she won't make any referrals to prosecutors or law enforcement that would lead to immediate action. Agencies with jurisdiction over the criminal acts her report found the governor committed could use them to pursue action of their own volition. She said in her announcement that the matter is civil, with no criminal consequences.

Rep. Stefanik said she was the first federal official to call on Gov. Cuomo to resign, in December when the first woman, Lindsey Boylan, came forward with a story of how the governor harassed her while she worked for his administration.

"The media and Democrats smeared me and closed ranks to protect Cuomo, a shameful chapter in New York history," Rep. Stefanik said. "All of them including his staff must be held to account. These brave women deserve swift and definitive justice."

Other north country state representatives called for Gov. Cuomo to step down, but stopped short of calling for his arrest.

In a detailed statement sent Tuesday afternoon, state Sen. Joseph R. Griffo, R-Rome, said he is reviewing the entire 165-page report from the attorney general, but said an initial review showed a toxic work environment and behavior that "befits a tabloid newspaper or a reality television program — not the New York Executive Chamber."

Sen. Griffo called out the governor for his previous work putting together the state sexual harassment policy, which implemented a zero-tolerance policy.

"It appears the administration is indifferent to and/or ignored its own policy," Sen. Griffo said.

Sen. Griffo called on state Democratic leadership and the other organizations and individuals that have stepped up to combat sexual harassment to take appropriate action against the governor in light of the attorney general's report.

"The attorney general made it clear to New Yorkers and the world that Gov. Cuomo is a serial sexual predator," Assemblyman Kenneth D. Blankenbush, R-Black River, said in a statement. "He must resign immediately."

State Sen. Patricia A. Ritchie, R-Heuvelton, echoed Mr. Blankebush's call for the governor's resignation in a statement Tuesday.

"The findings of the Attorney General's independent investigation are truly appalling," she said. "This abhorrent behavior is absolutely unacceptable for the top elected office holder in New York state. The independent, in-depth report confirms disturbing allegations made by nearly a dozen women and makes it makes it abundantly clear that the governor must resign."

Assemblyman Mark C. Walczyk, R-Watertown, did not call for the governor to step down, but called on the state Legislature to use its power to remove him from office.

"The governor should be impeached, immediately," he said Tuesday.

Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, D-Bronx, has organized an Assembly investigation into the governor, which he has said would operate independently of the attorney general's investigation and could determine that the governor should be impeached. On Tuesday, the speaker said the Assembly will soon have an update on its impeachment investigation, but gave few details.

Sen. Griffo called on Mr. Heastie to allow the Assembly to expedite its investigation and come to a conclusion so the Assembly may move on impeachment.

He said the attorney general's report, and the other ongoing investigations into various aspects of the Cuomo administration, will continue to be a distraction in state government.

"To reiterate what I have said since the onset of this issue, the governor needs to step down," Sen. Griffo said.