Submitted by John Salka
Assemblyman John Salka (R,C,I-Ref – Brookfield) has joined the Assembly Minority Conference in announcing an impeachment resolution, which would begin the impeachment process as two more women have come forward over the weekend with detailed accounts of sexual harassment by the governor.
This brings the total number of women to accuse the governor up to five.
While investigations into the nursing home cover-up and sexual harassment accusations are underway, the Minority Conference feels it is necessary to begin the impeachment process as soon as possible.
The governor has made it clear he will not willingly resign; it is now the Legislature’s job to take action and move forward with impeachment. Republicans in the state Legislature have been calling for the governor to resign since the attorney general confirmed he purposely underreported nursing home deaths. The governor has shown he can no longer lead and we need to hold him accountable for the numerous scandals he has created.
The standard for impeachment in New York is “willful and corrupt misconduct” according to the Laws of New York, Judiciary, Article 7-C Sec.240. Here are clear reasons as to why Cuomo should face impeachment.
The governor:
- Issued a mandate that readmitted COVID-19 positive patients back into nursing homes, which contributed to rapid spread in these facilities;
- Failed to properly disclose accurate data on nursing home pandemic deaths in a timely manner to the state Legislature, watchdog groups, the U.S. Department of Justice, FOIL requests and the public;
- Covertly inserted in the 2020-21 budget language giving legal immunity to hospital and nursing home executives at the request of lobbyists and large donors to his campaign coffers;
- Threatened Assemblyman Ron Kim (D-Queens) to publicly corroborate all or part of the governor’s claims about the DOJ investigation;
- Profited on the pandemic by selling a book about his leadership and had a law firm that was contracted in relation to the pandemic purchase hundreds of copies of the book;
- Has been accused by five women of sexual harassment and creating a hostile work environment, one of whom was known to him as a sexual assault victim; and
- Hid structural deficiencies related to the Gov. Mario M. Cuomo bridge, despite the Legislature’s request for information.
Editor’s note: Assemblyman John Salka represents the 121st Assembly District, encompassing all of Madison County and portions of Oneida and Otsego counties.