"Under the circumstances, the best way to help you is to retire," Andrew Cuomo told New Yorkers in a video statement from his office, also offering his "deep apologies" to women who "felt" offended ”by his actions.

The 63-year-old governor, who was in his third term at the head of the 4th most populous state in the country (about 20 million inhabitants), finally let go, six months after the first calls for his resignation because of of that case and seven days after the damning findings of an investigation requested by New York State Attorney General Letitia James.

A decision hailed by US President Joe Biden who said "respect the decision" of Andrew Cuomo, after calling for his resignation a week ago.

"It was high time that Andrew Cuomo resigned, for the good of all New York," added the mayor of the city, Democrat Bill de Blasio, openly hostile to the governor.

A vertiginous fall

The investigations, contained in a 168-page report, concluded that Andrew Cuomo had violated federal and New York State laws and sexually harassed eleven women, the majority of whom were collaborators and employees, listing numerous actions or attitudes. displaced.

"The most serious accusations are not based on any credible basis in the report," Andrew Cuomo defended himself on Tuesday, shortly after a long intervention by his lawyer, who renewed the accusations of bias against Letitia James' team.

“But that doesn't mean eleven women weren't offended.

They are.

And for that, I apologize deeply, ”added the governor, ensuring that he was not aware of the scope of his actions, while he is accused in some cases of having touched the buttocks or breasts of some. women.

Andrew Cuomo said his resignation would take effect in 14 days and paid tribute to Vice-Governor Kathy Hochul, "intelligent and competent", who will replace him and thus become the first female governor of the State of New York.

The fall is in any case vertiginous for Andrew Cuomo, descendant of Italian immigrants, fed into politics by his father Mario Cuomo, who was himself governor of the State for three terms before him (1983-1994).

The governor's record had, however, already been tarnished by a case of underestimation of the number of deaths from Covid-19 in retirement homes, then by accusations of sexual harassment, which had emerged at the beginning of the year.

Describing himself readily as a “fighter” as he repeated on Tuesday, Andrew Cuomo was more and more alone.

For the past week, calls for resignation have come from all sides.

In addition, New York State parliamentarians appeared increasingly determined to order an impeachment trial, and a former assistant's complaint, filed last week, paved the way for possible legal action. .

This former collaborator came out of anonymity Monday by testifying on the CBS channel to tell how her “dream job” had “turned into a nightmare”.

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