NY State Lawmakers Launches Impeachment Probe Vs. Gov. Andrew Cuomo

The New York State Assembly announced that it would launch an impeachment probe into Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Thursday. It promised to dig into claims that he acted sexually with female aides and his administration's treatment of COVID-19 deaths in state nursing homes.

Numerous New York officials have called for Cuomo's resignation. Still, the Governor argued it would be "anti-democratic" for him to step down. He said the voters and residents in New York placed him in office, not the politicians themselves.

Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, a Democrat from Bronx, said the Democrat-dominated chamber's judiciary committee will have jurisdiction to interview witnesses, subpoena records and review testimony. As representatives discuss proposed articles of impeachment, Heastie said these allegations are "serious." Heastie went on to say that this is legal under the New York Constitution.

Heastie also said that he allowed the Assembly Justice Committee to begin the investigation after the meeting with the Assembly Majority Conference.

He states that he is sure that Assemblymember Lavine and the other committee members will conduct a comprehensive inquiry into the Governor's claims.

New York Daily News said that more than 55 Democratic state lawmakers signed a joint declaration calling for Governor Cuomo's impeachment.

Meanwhile, Heastie claimed that the subpoena authority would have little effect on the independent investigation headed by New York State Attorney General Letitia James. Anne Clark, a workplace discrimination advocate, and Joon Kim, a former federal prosecutor, are heading the independent investigation.

The Albany Police Department has been notified of a claim that Governor Cuomo groped a female staffer after several women have testified that Cuomo harassed them. However, according to spokesman Steve Smith, there has been no official complaint and no ongoing police investigation into the incident. Meanwhile, the District Attorney's Office has reported that the Governor's claim would not continue until the accuser or suspected survivor cooperates with authorities.

The actual impeachment of Andrew Cuomo as Governor will not be sought from the investigation until Heastie decides to allow it to come to a vote. The majority is needed from the 150-member assembly to send charges to the Senate.