In the spring of 2020, as the Covid-19 pandemic hit the East Coast of the United States head-on, Andrew Cuomo looked like the exact opposite of Donald Trump: the Democratic governor of New York State took the problem seriously. arm-the-body, when the tenant of the White House kicked in touch. To the point that some Democrats were already suggesting he would make a better presidential candidate than Joe Biden. A year later, Andrew Cuomo is fighting for his political survival.
Charges of sexual harassment
Never since being the strongman of New York State, Andrew Cuomo, first elected in 2010, had weathered such a political storm. The 63-year-old man, son of a governor and himself a former minister of Bill Clinton, is accused by several women of inappropriate gestures or comments with a sexual connotation.
The affair began at the end of February, when two former collaborators in quick succession denounced the embarrassing attitudes of the governor. The first to speak is 36-year-old former economic advisor Lindsey Boylan. She published on the Internet, on February 24, a text in which she claimed that Andrew Cuomo had kissed her on the mouth when she was working with him, between 2015 and 2018. He would also have suggested, she adds, that ‘ she plays with him at « strip-poker ».
A few days later, another ex-collaborator, Charlotte Bennett, 25, testifies. She reports advances that had put her ” uncomfortable “ in the spring of 2020. A testimony subsequently confirmed in front of the cameras of American television.
A democrat let go by his own
Confronted with his accusers, Andrew Cuomo reacted in different ways. While he denied certain facts, he also admitted certain errors, in particular apologizing to Charlotte Bennett, and accepted the opening of an independent investigation into these facts.
But, despite this openness, the situation seems to elude him. First, because other women have spoken since – there are five to this day to accuse him. Then because even some early supporters are now asking for his departure. As the Times Union d’Albany, the most influential daily in the state capital. ” It’s time for Mr. Cuomo to step down “, He judged Saturday, March 6, recalling having nevertheless taken a position for Andrew Cuomo in each election.
More significantly, the governor is also let go by the state’s other Democratic leaders. Andrea Stewart-Cousins, who heads the Senate, joined several of his colleagues on Sunday March 7 to call for his resignation. Soon after, his counterpart in the Assembly, Carl Heastie, went in the same direction: “It is time for the governor to seriously question whether he (could) meet the expectations of the citizens of New York. “
Underestimates of the number of victims of Covid-19?
For now, Andrew Cuomo is holding up. “I was elected by the people of this state, not by politicians”, he replied on Sunday March 7, refusing to “Resign for allegations”. But these accusations of harassment continue to take center stage, seriously hampering the governor’s ability to act even as the state has to respond to the many challenges posed by a very complex vaccination campaign.
Moreover, these accusations are not the only ones targeting Andrew Cuomo and damaging his credibility. The governor is in fact also suspected of having deliberately underestimated the number of deaths from the coronavirus in retirement homes in the state. A federal investigation is underway to shed light on these accusations.
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