Cuomo again refuses to step down, says lawmakers calling for his resignation are 'bowing to cancel culture'
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- New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo once again refused to resign on Friday.
- "I did not do what has been alleged, period," Cuomo said
- "People know the difference between playing politics, bowing to cancel culture, and the truth."
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New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo once again refused to resign on Friday after more Democrats at the state and federal level called for his ouster.
"I did not do what has been alleged, period," Cuomo said on a conference call with reporters.
Despite a litany of staff departures and growing pressure from lawmakers to leave office, Cuomo dug in his heels and derided those demanding his ouster as "playing politics."
"People know the difference between playing politics, bowing to cancel culture, and the truth," the governor later said.
Cuomo further lashed out at politicians who have called for his resignation, which, as of Friday afternoon, included much of the Empire State's congressional delegation after 10 House members called for him to step down.
"Politicians who don't know a single fact, but yet form a conclusion and an opinion are, in my opinion, reckless and dangerous," Cuomo said, later adding that they are "bowing to cancel culture" and represent "politics at its worst."
Moments after promising he would not speculate about the motives of his accusers, Cuomo said his time as New York attorney general gave him a different perspective on allegations of sexual misconduct.
"A lot of people allege a lot of things for a lot of reasons," he said.
"The last allegation is not true," Cuomo added toward the end of the press conference, referring to a sixth woman who reportedly told her supervisor that the governor groped her under her blouse when she was summoned to his private residence to ostensibly help him fix his iPhone.
When asked if any of these allegations stemmed from consensual relationships, Cuomo again denied any misconduct.
"I never harassed anyone, I never abused anyone, I never assaulted anyone," Cuomo said. "Is it possible I have taken a picture with someone? Yes. And that is what you're hearing."
More than half of the New York State Legislature has demanded Cuomo's resignation.
On Thursday, New York Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, a Bronx Democrat who leads the majority party in the legislature's lower chamber, effectively kick started the impeachment process by launching a formal impeachment investigation into Cuomo's conduct.
New York's impeachment process is very similar to that of the US Congress, but if a trial were to begin, Cuomo would have to at least temporarily step aside and allow Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul to move in as acting governor.
Several New York Democratic lawmakers have already told Insider they're open to impeaching Cuomo if he won't resign, though many legislators asking him to step down are not necessarily in favor of impeachment.