It’s Time for Andrew Cuomo to Resign as Governor

The Governor of New York, Andrew Cuomo, used to be held in high regard by the public. He was a beacon of sanity for the Democratic party during unstable times and he won an international Emmy award for his “masterful” Covid-19 briefings. He received mountains of praise from the media and his approval ratings grew… but this was a merely a façade and it came crashing down. He is currently under two federal investigations: the first for his botched handling of Covid-19, and second… many cases of alleged sexual misconduct. These are two major signs pointing to a sobering reality; it is time for Andrew Cuomo to resign as Governor of New York.

(Will Governor Cuomo resign?/Photo by AP)

The truth is that his handling of Covid-19 was nothing short of disastrous. It turns out that his numbers of Covid cases and deaths weren’t as low as many believed, with his administration knowingly withholding data about Covid-19 in nursing homes and his questionable law that nursing homes couldn’t move or deny patients for being Covid-19 positive. This led to an outbreak of Covid cases in nursing homes and an increase in nursing home deaths, which Cuomo and his administration covered up, leading to New York having one of the highest Covid-19 rates in the country. He has been caught and it has been proven that he blessed the cover-up, still he maintains that he is innocent. He states that his decision was based upon federal guidance, and that is just not the fact. Many Democrats from New York want Cuomo to resign and to strip him of his emergency powers, which were granted to him during the early days of the pandemic. His own team has confirmed his wrongdoings, even Assemblyman Ron Kim, informed sources that Cuomo threatened to “destroy” him if he did not help the nursing home cover up. This, by itself should be enough for Cuomo to resign, but it gets worse.

(Assemblyman Ron Kim/Lightrocket via Getty Images)

As of late, Governor Cuomo has been accused of sexual harassment and/or misconduct by eight women. In the climate of the #MeToo movement, where many are being exposed for their inappropriate behavior, this is especially damaging for Cuomo. Most of these women are former aids to Cuomo and one claims to have been harassed by him at her wedding. The women were all close to the Governor and there was a massive outcry after President Biden openly considered him to be Attorney General. Most of these accounts are the same, all involving Cuomo inappropriately touching them and/or refusing to let go when asked. This is horrid behavior for anyone but more so for an elected official and should be an impeachable offense. Cuomo has denied most of these or he has given a weak apology saying that it was “unintentional”.

There is no way around it, Andrew Cuomo has revealed himself to be an untrustworthy and scandalous Governor. President Biden and House Speaker, Nancy Pelosi, agree and have said that he should resign if the accusations are proven true. Only time will tell if he will be cleared, but between the nursing home deaths and sexual harassment, it’s time for him to resign, or be impeached.

Have an opposing viewpoint to this opinion?  Let us know.  All views are welcomed.  Send your thoughts to our Editorial Staff – Editor Anna Proulx aproulx@student.dean.edu or Dean Daily Faculty Advisor, Professor John Rooke jrooke@dean.edu