Assembly Democratic leader stops impeachment probe of Democrat Cuomo
By Tom Precious
News Albany Bureau Chief
Updated
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Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie said Friday that his chamber's decision on whether to move forward with impeachment proceedings against Gov. Andrew Cuomo will not be based solely on the outcome of the attorney general's investigation of sexual harassment allegations.
Mark Mulville/News file photo
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo prepares to board a helicopter after announcing his resignation, Tuesday, Aug. 10, 2021, in New York.
ALBANY – Democrats who control the state Assembly, on a hot Friday afternoon when few New Yorkers were paying attention to the news, said they were ending their five-month impeachment investigation of Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, saying they don’t possess the legal authority to impeach the governor once he resigns.
Cuomo's stepped down after a swift and dramatic descent like so many Albany politicians in recent decades: under the weight of personal and governmental scandal.
A defiant Cuomo denied groping any women, but apologized for his actions in a 30-minute resignation speech broadcast exactly a week after Attorney General Letitia James released the scathing results of an investigation into accusations Cuomo sexually harassed 11 women.
"People will see very early on the kind of person I am and the expectations I have of any team that's ever worked with me," Hochul said. "They know that I always have conducted myself with the highest ethical standards. I believe you lead by example."
The Buffalo Democrat said she is already addressing pressing policy matters, working on key staff hirings, and, in a process to be completed within several weeks, preparing to name a new lieutenant governor.
Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie said Friday that his chamber's decision on whether to move forward with impeachment proceedings against Gov. Andrew Cuomo will not be based solely on the outcome of the attorney general's investigation of sexual harassment allegations.
