Cuomo says resigning due to allegations is "actually anti-democratic"
07 March 2021
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) was defiant on Sunday, stating again that he would not resign even as more former aides have come forward with allegations of sexual harassment and inappropriate behavior.
The big picture: Cuomo has denied all sexual harassment allegations against him and said that he "never inappropriately touched anybody." He acknowledged in a statement that "some of the things I have said have been misinterpreted as an unwanted flirtation." Some of the calls for Cuomo to resign have come from within the Democratic party.
- Three women who formerly worked in Cuomo's office, two former male aides, and one of his former press aides have described being berated by the governor with explicit language, being asked about their dating lives, or being uncomfortably touched, and in one instance, kissed without consent, per the Washington Post.
What he's saying: "There are some legislators who suggest that I resign because of accusations made against me. ... The premise of resigning because of allegations is actually anti-democratic."
- "No, there is no way I resign. Let's do the attorney general investigation, let's get the findings, and then we'll go from there."
- "There is politics in politics," Cuomo said, when asked what he would say to Democrats calling for him to resign, including Rep. Kathleen Rice (D-N.Y.). "They don't get to hear an allegation and make a determination on the allegation."
Between the lines: Most state lawmakers are holding their fire over the allegations and punting to state Attorney General Letitia James' investigation into sexual harassment allegations, Axios' Alayna Treene reports.
Transcripts show George Floyd told police "I can't breathe" over 20 times
Section2Newly released transcripts of bodycam footage from the Minneapolis Police Department show that George Floyd told officers he could not breathe more than 20 times in the moments leading up to his death.
Why it matters: Floyd's killing sparked a national wave of Black Lives Matter protests and an ongoing reckoning over systemic racism in the United States. The transcripts "offer one the most thorough and dramatic accounts" before Floyd's death, The New York Times writes.
The state of play: The transcripts were released as former officer Thomas Lane seeks to have the charges that he aided in Floyd's death thrown out in court, per the Times. He is one of four officers who have been charged.
- The filings also include a 60-page transcript of an interview with Lane. He said he "felt maybe that something was going on" when asked if he believed that Floyd was having a medical emergency at the time.
What the transcripts say:
- Floyd told the officers he was claustrophobic as they tried to get him into the squad car.
- The transcripts also show Floyd saying, "Momma, I love you. Tell my kids I love them. I'm dead."
- Former officer Derek Chauvin, who had his knee on Floyd's neck for over eight minutes, told Floyd, "Then stop talking, stop yelling, it takes a heck of a lot of oxygen to talk."
Read the transcripts via DocumentCloud.