The impeachment of disgraced New York Governor Andrew Cuomo (D-NY) was put on hold by the state assembly on Friday afternoon. Cuomo resigned from office on Tuesday after receiving a wave of backlash in the face of a damning report released by New York Attorney General Letitia James detailing instances of Cuomo sexually harassing women in the workplace.
Impeachment was under consideration even after Cuomo resigned, but State Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie announced that the impeachment investigation was suspended upon the governor’s resignation.
“First, the purpose of the Assembly Judiciary Committee’s impeachment investigation was to determine whether Governor Cuomo should remain in office. The governor’s resignation answers that directive. Second, we have been advised by Chair Lavine - with the assistance of counsel - of the belief that the constitution does not authorize the legislature to impeach and remove an elected official who is no longer in office (view Impeachment Jurisdiction Memo),” Heastie said in a statement. “I have asked Chair Lavine to turn over to the relevant investigatory authorities all the evidence the committee has gathered. We are well aware that the attorney general is investigating issues concerning the governor’s memoir; the Eastern District of the United States attorney has been investigating the administration’s actions concerning nursing home data; and there are active investigations by local law enforcement authorities in five jurisdictions - Manhattan, Albany, Westchester, Nassau and Oswego - concerning incidents of sexual misconduct.”
Inbox: ?@CarlHeastie? suspends impeachment investigation into ?@NYGovCuomo? ?? pic.twitter.com/GX9qKeAcFw
— Zack Fink (@ZackFinkNews) August 13, 2021
Even after resigning, Cuomo maintained that the facts in the report were wrong and that he was innocent of any sexual misconduct.
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