President Joe Biden said New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo should resign if an investigation confirms multiple allegations of sexual misconduct made against him.
Biden made the remarks during an interview on Tuesday with ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos, who asked him, “If the investigation confirms the claims of the women, should he resign?”
“Yes,” Biden replied. “I think he'll probably end up being prosecuted, too.”
The president stopped short of asking Cuomo to resign immediately, noting that an investigation to determine the veracity of the sexual assault allegations is underway.
“There should be an investigation to determine whether what she says is true,” Biden added. “That’s what’s going on now.”
Biden has received pressure from the media to comment on the scandal following the push from several prominent Democrats to end Cuomo’s governorship. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) in a statement late March 12 urged Cuomo to resign, arguing that the governor has lost the confidence of his “governing partners and the people of New York” amid the controversy.
However, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) declined to say whether Cuomo should immediately resign.
“Let the review proceed, I’m not going to resign, I was not elected by the politicians, I was elected by the people,” he previously told reporters.
“I am not part of the political club, and you know what? I am proud of it,” he added. “I have been in the public eye my entire life. My entire life I have been under public scrutiny, since I was 23 years old and ran my father’s campaign. New Yorkers know me. Wait for the facts.”
On Monday, one of the seven women who accused Cuomo of wrongdoing met with investigators in a Zoom meeting for more than four hours.
Bennett and her legal team remain confident that the probe will substantiate the sexual harassment claims against Cuomo, 63, and the failure of his senior staff to meet their mandatory reporting requirements under laws the Democrat himself signed.
