Cuomo
© APNew York Governor Andrew Cuomo
Democrats in the state Assembly on Thursday gave a green light for an "impeachment investigation" of Gov. Andrew Cuomo by the Judiciary Committee — the first step toward potentially removing him from office.

Speaker Carl Heastie (D-The Bronx) announced the momentous decision following an afternoon meeting of the entire Democratic Assembly conference. Heastie said he was
"authorizing the Assembly Judiciary Committee to begin an impeachment investigation, led by Chair Charles D. Lavine, to examine allegations of misconduct against Governor Cuomo. The reports of accusations concerning the governor are serious. The committee will have the authority to interview witnesses, subpoena documents and evaluate evidence, as is allowed by the New York State Constitution."
Heastie also said the probe "will not interfere with the independent investigation being conducted by Attorney General [Letitia] James," who on Monday announced the hiring of several outside lawyers, including former acting Manhattan US Attorney Joon Kim.


During the Democratic conference meeting and an earlier meeting of select Assembly Democrats, Heastie said the Judiciary Committee should examine the accusations that Cuomo groped and sexually harassed several female aides as well as his administration's alleged cover-up of the total number of nursing home deaths from COVID-19, a source said.

Heastie also notified James of his plan ahead of time, an insider briefed on their discussion said. "She has no problem with it," the source added.

John Kaehny of the good-government group Reinvent Albany said that although launching a probe would pave the way for Cuomo's potential impeachment,
"It also gives Heastie more control over the process. It allows him to control the clock, the questions and takes the immediate pressure off him to call for an impeachment resolution because he can hold this up for everyone: both the governor's assistants and defenders."
Heastie's extraordinary move followed a statement issued Thursday morning in which more than 55 Democratic members of the state Legislature called on Cuomo to resign — in the wake of a report that alleged he put his hands under a female staffer's blouse and groped her inside Albany's Executive Mansion late last year.

Mayor Bill de Blasio also joined the growing bipartisan chorus demanding Cuomo's resignation amid the spiraling twin scandals engulfing him.

Impeaching the three-term governor would require a simple majority vote of the Assembly, which is composed of 106 Democrats, 43 Republicans and one independent. If Cuomo were impeached, Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul would automatically become acting governor pending a trial before the state Senate and the seven members of the Court of Appeals. Under the New York Constitution, both Hochul and Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins (D-Yonkers) would be barred from taking part in the trial.

On Sunday, Stewart-Cousins called on Cuomo to resign, reportedly after he told her the only way he would leave office was through impeachment. Cuomo has previously said he would seek a fourth term next year, but during a news conference on Tuesday refused to say if that was still his plan. His office hasn't responded to requests for comment since Cuomo issued a statement on Wednesday night denying the groping allegation.