Cuomo Impeachment Odds Grow as 6 Democratic Socialist Lawmakers Support Removal

Six self-identified socialist state legislators from the Democratic Party say they support Governor Andrew Cuomo's impeachment over sexual misconduct allegations which emerged over the past few weeks.

Two New York state senators and four assembly members issued a statement Tuesday accusing Cuomo of using "his power to belittle, bully and harass his employees and colleagues." Each of the state lawmakers represent New York City districts and are a potential sign that the New York State Legislature could successfully impeach and remove Cuomo through the required two-thirds vote. In addition to multiple allegations of sexual harassment, the embattled Democratic governor is facing a state probe over nursing home deaths from COVID-19.

"These accounts of predatory behavior come just weeks after Governor Cuomo's administration admitted to withholding critical information, including the thousands of COVID-19 deaths in nursing homes, from the public and from the federal government," the statement read.

"The accounts add to recent revelations of gross misconduct. It is time for the legislature to demand accountability. Impeachment proceedings are the appropriate avenue for us to pursue as legislators to hold the Governor accountable for his many abuses of power and remove him from office," the six Democratic Socialist legislators said.

The six New York State Legislature members who penned the Tuesday letter in support of impeaching Cuomo are State Senators Julia Salazar and Jabari Brisport; and Assembly Members Emily Gallagher, Phara Souffrant Forrest, Zohran Mamdani and Marcela Mitaynes.

At least five other Democratic state lawmakers, almost all of whom represent the New York City area, have also expressed their support for impeaching Cuomo.

New York only impeached a governor one time: In 1913, Charles Sulzer was convicted and removed from office under charges of embezzlement and using campaign donations to buy stocks. But Sulzer was opposed by the seemingly omnipotent power in New York politics at the time—Tammany Hall—who did not support his reforms in Albany.

The process for impeaching the New York governor requires a two-thirds vote from the Albany legislature in a process almost identical to that of the U.S. Congress process for removing a president.

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