China News Agency, New York, August 10 (Reporter Madelin) New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo, who was caught in a sexual harassment scandal, announced his resignation on the 10th, which will take effect within 14 days.
Cuomo held a press conference in New York City that day to announce the decision.
After he resigned, Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul (Kathy Hochul) will take over as governor, becoming the first female governor of New York State.
On the 3rd of this month, New York State’s Attorney General, Letitia James, announced that an investigation found that Cuomo had sexually harassed multiple women during his tenure, such as unwelcome kissing, touching, and inappropriate remarks.
Cuomo admitted at the press conference that day that he did hug and kiss the cheeks of the women mentioned in the report, or called some of them with words such as "sweetheart, dear".
However, he argued that this was a way of showing kindness or politeness to others, without any bad intentions.
He also emphasized that this is not to say that he did not "offend" these 11 women.
My own behavior is indeed beyond the tolerance of the other party, "I apologize to them."
But Cuomo insisted that the series of "most serious allegations" made against him in the Attorney General's report lacked reliable factual basis. "There is a difference between being accused of inappropriate behavior and being found to have sexual harassment."
Cuomo said that since the report was released, he and his lawyers have been paying attention to the development of the situation. They know that a huge public opinion has formed and that people are rightly angry about the sexual harassment scandal.
"I love New York, and I don't want to bring any negative impact to New York." Cuomo said that based on the current situation, he believes that voluntary resignation is the best choice.
After the attorney general's report was released, many politicians including Cuomo's long-time friend, U.S. President Biden, said that Cuomo should resign.
The New York Times stated that Cuomo ultimately failed to survive the scandal, and his "allies" abandoned him one after another. He eventually had to end his ten-year governorship "in shame".
For Hoch, who is about to succeed him, Cuomo praised her for being "very smart and capable of (Governor)" and said that the transfer of power would be "seamlessly".
He said that he is very worried about the delta strain of the mutated new crown virus, but believes that Hochll can quickly enter the state.
Hochel issued a statement after Cuomo announced his resignation, approving of his decision, saying that he was ready to assume the duties of governor.
Cuomo, who is nearly 64 years old, was elected governor of New York State for the first time in 2010 and was re-elected twice in 2014 and 2018.
In 2019, he announced his intention to seek a fourth term as governor.
During his tenure, New York State made progress in gun control, public university tuition reductions, improvement of public housing conditions, and permission for same-sex marriages.
After the outbreak of the new crown pneumonia in New York State in March 2020, with the strong control of the state government, New York State has gradually become an area with better epidemic prevention in the United States, and Como has also gained great popularity in the process.
However, the state government's handling of the death toll in nursing homes and the actual situation of the epidemic is still subject to considerable criticism.
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