Andrew Cuomo Claims An Impeachment Motion Against Him Would Have Ended This Way

Outgoing New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced on Tuesday, August 10, that he would be resigning from his position as governor effective August 24. The announcement comes with little surprise amidst a litany of calls for his departure after an investigation into sexual harassment and assault claims from at least nine women on his staff (via HuffPost). The final report of the investigation, which was filed earlier this month, detailed what New York state Attorney General Letitia James called a "deeply disturbing yet clear picture" of Cuomo's behavior during his time in office.

The disgraced Democrat first responded to the allegations by vehemently denying them, and has maintained the stance that he did not sexually harass anyone in a slew of victim-blaming comments. Cuomo has defended himself, saying, "I have slipped and called people honey, sweetheart and darling. I meant it to be endearing, but women found it dated and offensive." The claims against the governor accuse him of groping women and other inappropriate touching.

Andrew Cuomo has received a great deal of backlash for his handling of the sexual harassment allegations and his defense of his own position in them. He enraged Italian Americans across the internet when he tried to write off his behavior by saying the misunderstanding of his hugging and kissing people could be chalked up to "cultural behavior differences," citing Italian heritage (via the New York Post). Cuomo's latest blunder occurred in his first interview since the resignation announcement, in which he suggested that he would have emerged victorious had an impeachment motion been brought against him.

In a New York Magazine article, published Friday, August 13, Cuomo said, "I'm not gonna drag the state through the mud, through a three-month, four-month impeachment, and then win, and have made the State Legislature and the state government look like a ship of fools, when everything I've done all my life was for the exact opposite. I'm not doing that. I feel good. I'm not a martyr." Cuomo stated that he felt he'd done "the right thing for the state" with his decision.