New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio (D) says New York State Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) should resign if any of the allegations of sexual harassment are true.
CNN’s Jake Tapper asked de Blasio on Monday if he believes Cuomo should resign if allegations of sexual harassment are proven true or if an FBI investigation finds state officials intentionally withheld data on COVID-19 deaths in nursing homes.
Tapper asked, “If that investigation confirms any of the women’s claims or there’s some other investigation, the FBI or whatever, into the nursing home data scandal, any of that is confirmed, do you think Governor Cuomo needs to resign?”
The New York City mayor responded, “I don’t see how anyone can function as a governor and have the trust of the people and the respect of the people if they purposefully covered up the deaths of thousands of our seniors, our elders, family members, beloved family members who are gone.”
He continued, “If you cover that up or if you did things for reasons that had to do with politics or contributions, if you’ve sexually harassed young women in your employment, these are disqualifying realities. How could anyone look the people in the face after that? If these allegations, if these charges are proven, there’s just no way he can govern.”
Watch the video below:
Jake Tapper asks Bill de Blasio about both Gov. Cuomo harassment allegations and nursing home scandal. "You think that he should resign if any of these are proven correct?"
— Mediaite (@Mediaite) March 1, 2021
Mayor responds, "Of course! Of course!" https://t.co/3BOF09lXFe pic.twitter.com/pmAzykLYt2
Host Jake Tapper asked, “So, that’s a yes, you think he should resign if any of these are proven?”
“Of course,” de Blasio said.
Cuomo is facing allegations of sexual harassment from two former aides.
Lindsey Boylan accused the governor of unwanted touching, kissing her on the lips, and asking her to play strip poker. And Charlotte Bennett accused Cuomo of unwanted flirtation.
“I understood that the governor wanted to sleep with me, and felt horribly uncomfortable and scared,” she told The New York Times.
Cuomo has denied that he acted inappropriately as he said, “To be clear, I never inappropriately touched anybody, and I never propositioned anybody, and I never intended to make anyone feel uncomfortable, but these are allegations that New Yorkers deserve an answer to.”
Additionally, he is facing criticism after his top aide, Melissa DeRosa, told state lawmakers that officials withheld data on the number of COVID-19 deaths in nursing homes due to concerns about a federal investigation.
“Basically, we froze,” DeRosa told lawmakers. “Because then we were in a position where we weren’t sure if what we were going to give to the Department of Justice, or what we give to you guys, what we start saying, was going to be used against us while we weren’t sure if there was going to be an investigation.”
However, she later claimed, “We were comprehensive and transparent in our responses to the DOJ, and then had to immediately focus our resources on the second wave and vaccine rollout.”
“As I said on a call with legislators, we could not fulfill their request as quickly as anyone would have liked. But we are committed to being better partners going forward as we share the same goal of keeping New Yorkers as healthy as possible during the pandemic,” she added.
The FBI is reportedly investigating the Cuomo administration’s handling of the nursing home deaths.
