Amid growing calls for resignation, Cuomo says he won't step down

No.

"I'm not going to resign. I was not elected by the politicians; I was elected by the people," Cuomo said Friday afternoon.

He repeatedly denied allegations that he sexually harassed multiple women.

"This is a political environment that we are operating on and politics is part of all of this," he said. "But I just will focus on my job. In the meantime, I want to make it clear that what is being alleged just did not happen. The last allegation is not true. And I have not had a sexual relationship that was inappropriate. Period."

Cuomo said he isn't going to quit in the midst of trying to vaccinate the population against the Covid-19 virus, an effort that is becoming more challenging after President Biden announced that states must make the vaccine eligible to all adults by May 1. That's about 15 million more people, Cuomo said Friday.

The state's budget is due in two weeks, too, he said.

"This is probably the most critical time in the state's history," Cuomo said. " ... At this moment, we have a budget due in two weeks for a state that is in fiscal crisis. It will be the most difficult budget we have done.

"And then we have to rebuild our state from the bottom up, because we have serious issues, all across the state, especially in New York City. That is my job. That's why I was elected. That's what I am supposed to do. And that is exactly what I'm going to focus on," he said.

Cuomo’s claim of a difficult budget season in Albany comes after Biden and Congress last week approved a $1.9 trillion federal Covid stimulus plan, which will include $12.5 billion in direct bailout money for the state budget.

Cuomo’s fellow Democrats appeared to launch a coordinated attack against the embattled governor, with a steady stream of congressional Democrats from New York putting out statements all morning calling for his resignation. They included everyone from moderates like Rep. Brian Higgins of Buffalo to more liberal Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Jerrold Nadler of New York City.

Late Friday, both Schumer and fellow Sen. Kirsten E. Gillibrand, issued a statement saying Cuomo needed to step down, citing the "multiple, credible sexual harassment and misconduct allegations."

A growing number of state lawmakers, meanwhile, on Friday called for Cuomo to either permanently or temporarily step down and let Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul take over the state’s executive branch. Cuomo in the morning lost the entire Long Island Senate Democratic delegation and, shortly before his 1 p.m. telephone news conference, State Sen. Tim Kennedy, a Buffalo Democrat who had been among those saying investigations of Cuomo should be allowed to run their course, joined the Cuomo-should-resign coalition.

State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli late Friday also joined the calls for Cuomo to step down, tweeting that the allegations were "impairing Governor Cuomo's ability to lead."

The calls came as New York Magazine and The New York Times published articles painting the workplace Cuomo has fostered as something out of a "Mad Men" episode, with women encouraged to dress provocatively and superiors getting employees to compete against each other.

New York Magazine: "Though the multiple scandals erupting in Albany seem to toggle between sexualized harassment stories and evidence of mismanagement, what is emerging is in fact a single story: That through years of ruthless tactics, deployed both within his office and against anyone he perceived as an adversary, critic, or competitor for authority, Cuomo has fostered a culture that supported harassment, cruelty, and deception."

The Times: "In interviews over the past week, more than 35 people who have worked in Mr. Cuomo’s executive chamber described the office as deeply chaotic, unprofessional and toxic, especially for young women. It is a workplace, the current and former employees said, where tasks are assigned not based on job titles, but on who is liked by Mr. Cuomo and his top aides."

Attorney General Letitia James, a Democrat, is overseeing a probe by two outside lawyers, including a former U.S. attorney from Manhattan who was involved in prosecuting the Buffalo Billion corruption case several years ago. That investigation is due to conclude in early May.

On Thursday night, Assembly Democrats approved the launch of an impeachment investigation by the chamber’s Judiciary Committee, the first step in a possible removal process by the Assembly and Senate.

Cuomo said those investigations should play out before people form opinions about his future as governor. The Cuomo administration is also under investigation by federal prosecutors in Brooklyn for, as the state attorney general previously reported, undercounting how many residents of nursing homes died from Covid last year.

Cuomo sought to portray the central theme of accusations about him as being related to photographs he had taken with women – during public events or with other people present – that made them feel uncomfortable.

The allegations, though, are more serious than that. In the most recent case, an undisclosed woman has accused Cuomo of fondling her against her will when she was summoned to the Executive Mansion in Albany late last year to help him with his cellphone. Cuomo denied the allegation, though his administration, following what it said is state policy, did report the allegation this week to the Albany Police Department.

A defiant Cuomo said he would not cave to what he described as “cancel culture” politics, especially within factions of the Democratic Party; Cuomo, despite his stepping back and forth between liberal and moderate wings of the party, is not well-liked by an increasingly influential, young liberal wing of the party, both downstate and upstate.

Cuomo said his fellow Democrats calling for his resignation before the investigations are completed are “reckless and dangerous." He added that they “don’t know the facts” and that New Yorkers who have elected him three times as governor know the difference between “cancel culture and the truth.”

While Cuomo has sought to apologize for behavior that he said he never intended to be interpreted as flirting or making sexual advances, suggested on Friday that his accusers might have other reasons for the claims they have made against him.

He said he learned as state attorney general, a post he held for four years before becoming governor in 2011, that people have many “motivations” for making allegations.

“Women have a right to come forward and be heard … but I also want to be clear: there’s still a question of the truth,” he said.

News Washington Bureau Chief Jerry Zremski contributed to this article.