The New York Assembly’s Judiciary Committee sent a letter to Governor Andrew Cuomo’s attorneys on Thursday, warning the governor’s legal team that the impeachment inquiry, which began earlier this year, is nearing conclusion and that the governor should submit any evidence that “he might like to share,” according to a breaking news report from Politico.
As The Daily Wire reported earlier on Thursday, the New York Assembly appears to be leaning toward impeaching Cuomo over allegations that he sexually harassed and sexually assaulted women in his orbit. Earlier this week, the New York Attorney General’s office released its own report, concluding that 11 women’s allegations against Cuomo were “credible” and that the governor likely committed violations of both state and federal law.
At least 86 members of the Assembly are reportedly in favor of impeachment, more than half of the 150-member legislative body, and more than needed to impeach Cuomo.
State Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, a Democrat, noted Wednesday that, “When these disturbing allegations first came to light, the governor must resign for the good of the state. Now that the investigation is complete and the allegations have been substantiated, it should be clear to everyone that he can no longer serve as governor.”
The Assembly’s Judiciary Committee, on Thursday, gave the governor 8 days to marshal and produce evidence of his innocence.
“We write to inform you that the Committee’s investigation is nearing completion and the Assembly will soon consider potential articles of impeachment against your client,” the committee’s attorney wrote, per Politico.
“Accordingly, we invite you to provide any additional evidence or written submissions that you would like the Committee to consider before its work concludes. To the extent that you wish to share any such materials with the Committee, please do so by no later than 5:00 pm on August 13, 2021,” the letter continued.
The letter gave little indication of which way the Judiciary Committee is leaning, but it is now “planning to meet on Monday when members are expected to start making decisions about what the next steps will be.”
The New York Times, however, seems to believe that the letter is a sign that the committee is moving “quickly” so that the Assembly itself can begin impeachment proceedings.
“The Assembly began a broad impeachment inquiry into the governor in March, which had started slowly, in part because it was examining several scandals involving Mr. Cuomo, including his handling of nursing home deaths during the pandemic, that could lead to the governor’s impeachment,” the Times said Thursday. “But after a report from the New York State attorney general’s office this week concluded that Mr. Cuomo had sexually harassed nearly a dozen women, the Assembly’s leaders signaled that they intended to expedite their inquiry and move on to an impeachment vote.”
Cuomo, of course, has maintained his innocence publicly and, following news that the Attorney General found the allegations against him credible — after speaking with 179 witnesses and reviewing tens of thousands of pieces of evidence, refused to resign. He said, instead, that his actions and language were misconstrued and that he would hire a consultant for his office to discuss how to recognize and handle incidents of sexual harassment.