NY Times, Washington Post Editorial Boards Say It’s Time for Cuomo to Go: ‘Unfit for Office’

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The editorial boards of both the New York Times and the Washington Post are saying that Governor Andrew Cuomo needs to go.

The New York Attorney General’s Office dropped a stunning report Tuesday concluding the governor sexually harassed eleven women. Prominent Democrats from New York legislators to President Joe Biden have said he should step down. It’s unlikely at this point Cuomo would step down, and the New York Assembly is preparing to impeach him.

The Times editorial board wrote that their questions months ago about whether Cuomo could actually serve the people were answered yesterday.

First, Mr. Cuomo may yet face legal consequences for his alleged actions, which include a yearslong pattern of “unwelcome and nonconsensual touching,” “offensive comments” and other improper behavior toward at least 11 women, several on his staff.

Second, regardless of what may happen in a court of law, the governor has only one conscionable option left: He should resign.

“Most people would object to the behaviors detailed here, but the fact that it was coming from the most powerful person in New York State, often toward direct subordinates, makes it all the more disturbing,” they write.

Both the Times and the Post editorial boards take note of Cuomo’s reputation for “bullying,” with the Post writing, “Mr. Cuomo nonetheless seems to think he can tough out the scandal — staying in office and even running for a fourth term — with his characteristic bravado and bullying.”

They said in no uncertain terms that Cuomo is “unfit for office”:

If there was any doubt about Mr. Cuomo’s fitness to continue in office, it was removed with the details of his treatment of women and the toxic culture of the governor’s executive chamber that enabled the harassment to occur…

Most insulting have been his attempts to portray his behavior as just simple, old-fashioned displays of affection, an effort that continued Tuesday with a contrived slideshow of him hugging and kissing people in public.

Both pieces detail some of the disturbing details shared by witnesses. The Times concludes, “If Mr. Cuomo cares for the well-being of the state and its citizens as much as he has said he does over the years, he needs to do the right thing and step down.”

The Post concludes by noting that the report gives New York state Democrats “an obvious road map for impeachment.”

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