Whats next for outgoing New York Governor Andrew Cuomo?

Andrew
Cuomo, the New York governor who resigned on Tuesday, has been battling a
number of sexual harassment allegations mostly made by former and current
staff. Soon out of the governor’s office, Cuomo may still have to deal with the
legal ramifications of the allegations against him.

Here’s a look at the allegations against the former New York governor, the circumstances that led to his resignation and what lies ahead for Andrew Cuomo.

The allegations

Andrew Cuomo was
battling sexual harassment allegations for some time. But matters came to a
head after an investigative report released last week said that the New York governor
had sexually harassed 11 women who either worked for him or the state.

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Aside from
these, Andrew Cuomo was also under investigation for his handling of the COVID-19
pandemic in New York as governor. There was a state Assembly impeachment probe
against him on how the New York administration handled data on COVID-19 related
deaths in nursing homes, his $5 million pandemic leadership book deal and that
his relatives were given priority access to COVID-19 tests in the early days of
the pandemic, according to the Associated Press.

Why did he resign?

There was
mounting pressure on Andrew Cuomo to resign after the independent probe by the office
of the state Attorney General Letita James found that the governor’s office was
“rife with fear and intimidation” that not only “enabled” sexual harassment but
also created a “hostile work environment”.

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Addressing
his constituents on Tuesday, Cuomo said, “Given the circumstances, the best way
I can help now, is if I step aside and let government get back to government.”

What’s next
for Andrew Cuomo?

It is
currently unclear whether the state Assembly can and will pursue the probe
against Cuomo and draw up articles of impeachment. On Tuesday, Andrew Cuomo “deeply,
deeply” apologised to the “11 women who I truly offended”. However, he
continued to deny the most serious allegations against him pinning them on
generational differences which led to misunderstandings.

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Investigation
into whether Andrew Cuomo committed any crimes will continue, according to prosecutors
in Long Island, Albany and Westchester. It is possible that in his decision to
quit, Cuomo might be hoping that prosecutors or the women who complained about
his behaviour might lose interest in pursuing a case now that he is out of
office.