‘It Was Past Time’: US Lawmakers, Netizens Rejoice After Cuomo Resigns Amid Impeachment Probe

A week after an explosive report described a toxic work environment for women working within the Cuomo administration, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced that he would be resigning from office not because he was admitting guilt to sexual harassment accusations, but because of his desire to direct attention back to state government.

Moments after New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced that he would be resigning from his post on Tuesday, praises and cheers began to trickle in across social media from everyday netizens to US lawmakers, with many emphasizing that it was only right for Cuomo to hit the road.

Cuomo’s announcement indicated that his resignation would be effective in approximately two weeks’ time, and that he would be replaced by Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul, who will become the first woman to hold the coveted governorship.

Although Cuomo resigned not because he was admitting to any wrongdoing, he stated his decision came as part of a larger effort to no longer distract the Empire State from the important work that still needed to be done.

“In my mind, I have never crossed the line with anyone,” he said in his first public address since the damning sexual harassment report was first released by the New York Attorney General’s Office. “But I didn’t realize the extent to which the line has been redrawn.”

“Thank you for letting me serve you. It has been the honor of a lifetime,” Cuomo added.

And with that sign off came a chorus of cheers from the bevy of individuals who called for Cuomo to step aside. 

Lindsey Boylan, a former state economic development adviser for Gov. Andrew Cuomo, attends a rally and march calling for impeachment of Cuomo at Washington Square park, on Saturday, March. 20, 2021, in New York.

© AP Photo / Eduardo Munoz Alvarez

Lindsey Boylan, who was the very first staffer to raise allegations against Cuomo, took to social media to address the development, noting that it was a “tragedy that so many [individuals] stood by and watched these abuses happen.”

“I am thankful for the Attorney General, the investigators and all those who have pursued the truth despite intimidation and threats of retaliation,” she added. “Most importantly, I am in awe of the strength of the other women who risked everything to come forward. My hope always has been that this will make it safer for other women to report their own harassment and abuse.”

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, who was among the first to blast Cuomo’s defense of “cultural” and “generational” differences, highlighted that the only reason the governor was out the door was because of “survivors bravely telling their stories.”

“It was past time for Andrew Cuomo to resign and it’s for the good of all New York,” the city official underscored in his Twitter post.

While fellow politician US Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) rejoiced in the resignation, Rep. Ted Lieu (D-CA) pointed out that Cuomo ultimately only decided to part ways with the governorship “because he was going to be impeached and he knew it would be successful.”

In fact, the New York State Assembly revealed on Monday that it would be holding multiple public and private hearings through the remainder of the months with the goal of presenting impeachment articles within a matter of “several weeks.”

— NY AG James (@NewYorkStateAG) August 10, 2021

However, many netizens also pointed out how it was outrage over the sexual harassment report, and not the nursing home deaths that forced the resignation. The state assembly’s impeachment probe was expected to determine whether the Cuomo administration had in fact deliberately hidden the full scope of the nursing home deaths at the peak of the pandemic.

— Spike Cohen (@RealSpikeCohen) August 10, 2021​

— Greg Price (@greg_price11) August 10, 2021​