New York Governor Andrew Cuomo resigned Tuesday on a series of sexual harassment allegations, a year after being lauded nationwide for his detailed daily coverage and guidance through the darkest days of COVID19. The governor's three-term decision, which will come into effect in two weeks, was heralded as a legislative push to indict him after the New York attorney general released the results of an investigation that found Cuomo at least sexually harassed 11 women.
Investigators said he exposed the woman to unwanted kisses; touched or improperly touched her breasts or buttocks; made suggestive comments about her appearance and sex life, and created a work environment "full of fear and intimidation". Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul, a 62-year-old Democrat and former Congresswoman from the Buffalo area, becomes the state's 57th governor and the first woman in the office.
The #MeToo era scandal ended not just a career, but a dynasty: Cuomo's father Mario Cuomo was governor in the 1980s and 1990s, and the young Cuomo was often cited as a possible presidential candidate, a position famous for his father. Although the scandal increased, Mr Cuomo planned to run for re-election in 2022.
Mr Cuomo still faces criminal charges and several prosecutors from across the state are mobilizing to investigate him. The series of allegations leading to the overthrow of the governor hit the news last December and lasted for months. Mr Cuomo called some of the allegations fabricated and strongly denied touching anyone inappropriately, but acknowledged that some aides were uncomfortable with comments he thought should be playful and apologized for some of their behaviour.
He described some of the encounters as misunderstandings due to "generational or cultural" differences, an indication of his upbringing in a loving Italian-American family. As a defiant Mr Cuomo remained in office, state lawmakers launched impeachment proceedings, and almost the entire New York Democratic establishment left him, not only because of the allegations but also because of the discovery that his government had hidden thousands of COVID19 deaths among nursing home patients. The harassment investigation ordered by the Attorney General and conducted by two outside lawyers confirmed the women's accounts, adding new and shocking ones.