President Joe Biden told ABC’s George Stephanopoulos that he believes New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo should resign if an investigation into sexual misconduct allegations against him confirm the claims.
"I think he'll probably end up being prosecuted, too,” the president told Stephanopoulos.
The comment comes after seven women have come forward with allegations against the governor, including one that he groped a woman. He has denied the claims and refused to resign.
The president reiterated his belief that “a woman should be presumed telling the truth and should not be scapegoated and become victimized by her coming forward.” He also noted that allegations should be investigated to “determine whether what she says is true.”
Biden went on to explain further before cutting himself off.
“It takes a lot of courage for a woman to come forward,” Biden said. “Some are not — anyway, takes a lot of courage to come forward.”
EXCLUSIVE: @GStephanopoulos on Gov. Andrew Cuomo: "If the investigation confirms the claims of the women, should he resign?"
— ABC News (@ABC) March 17, 2021
"Yes," Pres. Biden says. "I think he'll probably end up being prosecuted, too.” https://t.co/a6qfOJ9Byp pic.twitter.com/EiC63wtnUo
Biden’s former Senate staffer Tara Reade came forward with sexual assault allegations against him during the campaign. Biden denied the claims, telling MSBC’s Mika Brzezinski “it never happened.”
In one memorable exchange from the interview after discussing Dr. Christine Blasey Ford's allegations against Brett Kavanaugh, Brzezinski asked Biden: "Are women to be believed unless it pertains to you?"
“I’ve said believing women means taking the woman’s claim seriously when she steps forward then is vetted,” Biden responded. “Women have a right to be heard, but in the end the truth is what matters. And in this case, the truth is the claims are false.”
New York Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand and Chuck Schumer have called on Cuomo to resign.