Dear Community,
On Tuesday, the New York State Attorney General’s Office completed its independent investigation into claims of sexual harassment by Governor Andrew Cuomo. The investigation concluded that Andrew Cuomo sexually harassed former and current staff, violated federal and state law, and upheld a toxic and hostile work environment that allowed him to sexually harass and intimidate employees. You can read the entire Attorney General report here.
The report is beyond troubling, and my heart goes out to the victims of the Governor’s abuse. No one should have to endure such harassment as these women have faced. I commend the brave women who came forward to share their experiences in the face of actual and potential retaliation. I believe you, I support you, and I stand with you always. No longer can we let powerful men abuse their positions without facing consequences. It is time for Governor Cuomo to face accountability for his actions. We must draw a clear line –– harassment is in the workplace is unacceptable –– even when they are committed by the most powerful people in our state. The Governor’s actions are an abuse of power and they impact not just the individual women who came forward, but the function and integrity of New York State government.
My hope is that the Governor will listen to the chorus of calls for him to step aside and resign— but that seems very unlikely at this moment. That is why I am calling on the State Assembly and Speaker Carl Heastie to move to impeach immediately. In New York State, the impeachment process begins in the Assembly who must draft and vote on articles of impeachment, before sending them to the Senate to conduct the impeachment trial. A key factor in New York’s impeachment process is that once the impeachment process is initiated, the Governor is required to step away from his duties as the trial takes place. In his absence, the Lieutenant Governor assumes the position of the Executive. Those of us who have called for the Governor’s resignation agree that he is no longer fit to lead our state, so it is our responsibility to ensure he does not serve another day in office.
Simply put, if we fail to hold the Governor accountable, we are sending a message that harassment and abuse are okay, and that he can get away with abusing his staff because he has a position of power. Additionally, New York is in a pivotal moment as we navigate the Delta variant, continue to help our communities recover, and distribute COVD-19 relief funds. We cannot afford to continue business as usual and allow this dysfunctional governor and his executive to be at the helm of our government during this critical time.
Finally, with the surge in the Delta variant, I also want to remind everyone to stay safe and vigilant. The best way for us to protect ourselves and our loved ones still lies in getting our communities vaccinated, and I encourage everyone who is eligible but has not yet been vaccinated to do so immediately. The threat and widespread existence of the Delta variant cannot be understated, and as New York gears up to face this spike in the new strain, getting vaccinated is more important than ever.
With Gratitude,
State Senator Alessandra Biaggi
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