“I think this will be dealt with in weeks, not months,” said New York House spokesman Carl Heastie on Monday after a judicial committee meeting. Heastie dismissed reports of alleged attempts by Cuomo to prevent impeachment proceedings with a special deal. “I don’t negotiate any agreements.”
Previously, the governor had to accept another setback in the fight for his political survival: One of his closest confidants, advisor Melissa DeRosa, had announced in a written statement on Sunday evening (local time) that she would give up her office. With the departure of the 38-year-old, the democratic politician loses a loyal colleague and important strategist.
In the wake of the affair, Roberta Kaplan resigned on Monday as chairwoman of the Time’s Up organization, which was founded as part of the #MeToo movement against sexual harassment. The attorney’s office had represented Cuomo advisor DeRosa and is said to have helped the governor defend himself against the harassment allegations.
A week ago, an investigation report by Attorney General Letitia James came to the conclusion that the 63-year-old governor had sexually molested former and current employees of the state authorities. According to information from the New York Times, the report also paints an unflattering picture of consultant DeRosa. She helped retaliate against one of the women accusing Cuomo.
DeRosa himself wrote in a statement: “It has been the greatest honor of my life to serve the people of New York for the past ten years.” “For me personally, the last two years have been very stressful emotionally and mentally.” According to the New York Times, the officer had worked for the Cuomo government since 2013. According to the Wall Street Journal, the governor himself described DeRosa as a close confidante in his latest book.
The report blames Cuomo for unwanted touches, kisses, hugs, and inappropriate comments. In addition, the governor, who has been in office since 2011, created a “hostile working atmosphere” for women and a “climate of fear”. Numerous prominent politicians from Republicans and Democrats are now calling for his resignation, including US President Joe Biden.
Cuomo has repeatedly denied the allegations and refused to resign. In addition to the impeachment proceedings, however, he is now also facing criminal consequences from various sides. (SDA)