NY Senate Majority Leader Reacts to Cuomo Resignation

CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR: How surprised have you been given that he was defiant, he was digging in, he said, according to those allies who still stood with him that he wanted to fight this out?

ANDREA STEWART-COUSINS, NEW YORK STATE SENATE MAJORITY LEADER: I was frankly surprised but, you know, I believe that certainly, he did the right thing. The reality is, and that’s why it’s from March, I and so many others had suggested this was the right thing for him to do because it had been a distraction. It was becoming a large distraction. And we do know the Governor to be a fighter, and there was that expectation that he was going to continue to fight. But the reality is we do have so much to do in New York, we are facing COVID. As you know, we’re trying to get kids back to school safely. We’re trying to deal with our economic recovery, and the litany of allegations and accusations and we’re just piling up. So, this was the right thing to do. And I always am grateful, frankly, that these women came forward, and they exercise an incredible amount of bravery. And I think our government will going forward under our first female government, Governor Kathy Hochul, will be one that will continue to work towards a safer, more inclusive, more conscious workplace and that’s what this is frankly about. It’s a very, very difficult day though for all of us.

AMANPOUR: I do want to get obviously to the women what Governor Cuomo has said about them and the other things he said in his press conference while resigning. But first, I want to ask you because I think everybody wants to ask and know, does this head off the impeachment process? Is it resignation or impeachment or could you all continue that process.

STEWART-COUSINS: Well, very much as it happens in the federal level. The impeachment process does not happen in my house, which is the Senate. It happens in the Assembly. And, of course, as of yesterday, they indicated they were planning to go forward with hearings, public hearings and start working their way towards impeachment. For our Senate House, we were getting our ducks in a row of trying to interview counsel to make sure that when it became the trial in the Senate, we had all the appropriate resources that we need. So it’s up to the Assembly, whether or not they want to continue down the path. Again, the conversation for many of us, the majority of my members, I think about 40, out of 63, we’re calling for the Governor to resign so that we could really do what people sent us here to do, which is obviously to serve their needs.