Andrew Cuomo says he’s stepping aside in the wake of state’s investigation into sexual harassment allegations
The White House reacted to news that embattled Gov. Andrew Cuomo will resign in 14 days, reiterating that it was an outcome President Biden had advocated for.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki dismissed any concerns that Cuomo’s announcement overshadowed passage of a key bipartisan agenda item.
“The President made clear his views last week and those stand. Our view is that this is a story about these courageous women who came forward, told their stories, shared their stories. And the investigation overseen by the attorney general that, of course, completed today in an outcome that the President called for just last week,” Psaki told reporters at the Tuesday briefing.
Psaki said Biden has not talked to Cuomo and there are “no plans that I’m aware of” to speak with him. Asked whether the White House was given a heads up on the resignation, Psaki said, “No.”
Psaki said that Biden has “not yet” spoken with Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul, who will become New York’s first female governor when Cuomo’s resignation takes effect.
She also suggested that the American people are more concerned with the infrastructure passage in the Senate than the blockbuster Cuomo news, which happened within minutes of each other.
“What I can assure you of is that the American people across the country, who are commuting back and forth to work, driving their kids to camp, worried about whether their kids have access to clean drinking water, focused on whether schools are going to have the resources they need, are most focused on the fact that 69 members of the Senate – 19 Republicans – joined the Democratic caucus to take an important step forward. That’s my bet in terms of what people are talking about,” Psaki said.
