NY lawmakers with short memories send Gov. Cuomo off with a significant parting gift

Speaker of the New York State Assembly Carl Heastie announced on Friday that lawmakers will suspend their impeachment proceedings against disgraced Governor Andrew Cuomo because they can’t constitutionally impeach him once he leaves office.

This means that Cuomo could potentially run for office again. The move hypocritically uses the constitutional defense which Democrats said didn’t apply to former President Donald Trump. It is being reported that Heastie did not consult the New York State Assembly before making the determination and it took all of them by surprise.

“There are two reasons for this decision. First, the purpose of the Assembly Judiciary Committee’s impeachment investigation was to determine whether Governor Cuomo should remain in office. The governor’s resignation answers that directive. Second, we have been advised by Chair Lavine – with the assistance of counsel – of the belief that the constitution does not authorize the legislature to impeach and remove an elected official who is no longer in office,” Heastie asserted.

“Let me be clear — the committee’s work over the last several months, although not complete, did uncover credible evidence in relation to allegations that have been made in reference to the governor,” he declared.

(Video Credit: MSNBC)

“Underscoring the depth of this investigation, this evidence concerned not only sexual harassment and misconduct but also the misuse of state resources in relation to the publication of the governor’s memoir as well as improper and misleading disclosure of nursing home data during the COVID-19 pandemic,” he noted. “This evidence — we believe — could likely have resulted in articles of impeachment had he not resigned.”

It is alleged that New York lawmakers just wanted Cuomo gone. But there are whispers out there that the disgraced governor had enough dirt on leaders in the state to take them down if they tried to prosecute him for his alleged crimes. The dropping of the investigation smacks of being a quid pro quo measure.

Heastie has denied that he reached any deal with Cuomo to let him resign without facing an impeachment trial or investigation.

“There was no deal,” he proclaimed in an interview with Spectrum News 1. “I’ve said that 150 times and I’ll make that the 151st time.”

Heastie contends that he requested that committee Chairman Charles Lavine turn over all evidence the panel gathered to the authorities.

The Friday news dump decision surprised a number of Democratic lawmakers and it upset many of Cuomo’s critics. They collectively called on the assembly to continue its impeachment process even after the three-term governor stepped down.

Cuomo resigned one week after New York Attorney General Letitia James released a report that confirmed her office found that Cuomo sexually harassed 11 women. It also found that he retaliated against one of his accusers and his administration fostered a hostile workplace.

“After nearly five months, the investigators concluded that Gov. Cuomo did sexually harass multiple women — including former and current state employees — by engaging in unwanted groping, kissing, and hugging, and making inappropriate comments,” James’ office announced in a statement.

Cuomo is denying the allegations and has done so for months.

He did say in his resignation speech that he takes “full responsibility” for his actions, deflecting by claiming that some of the complaints against him were a part of shifting cultural norms that he did not grasp.

“I have been too familiar with people,” Cuomo admitted. “My sense of humor can be insensitive and off-putting. I do hug and kiss people casually, women and men. I have done it all of my life. It’s who I have been since I can remember.”

“In my mind, I never crossed the line with anyone. But I didn’t realize the extent to which the line has been redrawn. There are generational and cultural shifts that I didn’t fully appreciate, and I should have,” he remarked justifying his egregious actions.

There was widespread outrage that Cuomo’s impeachment was dropped:

 

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