In the doghouse: Holed up Cuomo refuses to leave Governor's mansion for the SECOND day following bombshell AG report as experts warn impeachment could take MONTHS.... but Captain, his Malamute, manages to get a run
Andrew Cuomo on Wednesday was keeping his head down and avoiding leaving the house for a second day, as pressure mounted on him to resign following a report detailing multiple allegations of sexual harassment.
Cuomo, 63, has not been seen in public since Tuesday's report was made public.
In it, the New York attorney general, Letitia James, detailed accusations made by 11 women, which she found credible.
President Joe Biden has led calls for the powerful New York governor to resign, and Democrats in his state said they have lost confidence in him and will move to impeach.
As he hunkered down, strategizing on how to save his political life, his dog Captain was roaming the gardens of the Executive Mansion in Albany.
Andrew Cuomo's dog Captain was seen on Wednesday at the Executive Mansion in Albany, but his master was not. The three-year-old dog is a Siberian-shepherd mix, with some Malamute thrown in
Nightfall at the Executive Mansion in Albany on Wednesday, with Andrew Cuomo remaining hunkered down inside
Members of Andrew Cuomo's security detail are seen outside the Governor's Mansion on Wednesday, but he was nowhere to be seen
Cuomo, who has always denied the allegations, gave a televised address an hour after James' report was released during which he denied all of the claims and called the report a political attack on his character
Captain was described by Cuomo as a Siberian-shepherd mix, with some Malamute thrown in.
The governor bought him as a puppy in February 2018. He said at the time that he wanted to name him Excelsior, after the state motto, but was forbidden by his daughters.
Andrew Cuomo and his brother Chris, a CNN anchor, spent much of their younger years in the Executive Mansion: their father Mario was governor from 1983-1994.
On Wednesday evening The New York Post reported that Cuomo 'skipped work' while working out how to salvage his career.
Sources told the paper: 'Mr Cuomo spent Wednesday at the Executive Mansion in Albany talking with his closest advisers preparing for a public event that would further respond to the charges.
'The event never happened because the governor's team couldn't settle on an exact message or format.'
The report includes photos of Cuomo with women - some whose faces were muzzed, some whose weren't - as proof of how tactile he is
Cuomo's term expires in 2022, and he had been widely believed to be gearing up for a run for a fourth term.
He will now be focused on fighting impeachment.
Only one New York governor has ever been impeached before - William Sulzer, who was removed from office in 1913.
Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, who authorized the Judiciary Committee to begin an impeachment investigation into his fellow Democrat in March, said in a statement after the report was released that it is clear that Cuomo 'has lost the confidence of the Assembly Democratic majority and that he can no longer remain in office.'
Heastie said: 'Once we receive all relevant documents and evidence from the attorney general, we will move expeditiously and look to conclude our impeachment investigation as quickly as possible.'
The Judiciary Committee is scheduled to meet Monday in Albany to work out a timetable, but the process is likely to take several months - unlike the impeachment proceedings against Donald Trump.
After the articles are drafted, they would need to be passed by a simple majority of the committee before they could be presented to the entire 150-member Assembly.
At least 76 members would have to vote impeach the governor.
Andrew Cuomo is pictured in January 2020 with Carl Heastie, the Assembly Speaker. On Tuesday Heastie, who had been a strong ally of the governor's, said that he could no longer rule and would be impeached if he did not resign
Chris Cuomo is seen on Wednesday flying by helicopter from the Hamptons - where he has a home - back to New York City. The CNN host, who is paid $5 million a year, is under fire for his actions during the scandal enveloping his brother, Governor Andrew Cuomo
Chris Cuomo is pictured arriving at the Blade heliport in New York City amidst his brother Governor Andrew Cuomo facing multiple investigations
Senator James Skoufis, a Democrat, told NBC on Wednesday that while Democrats hold 106 seats in the Assembly, 'the votes are there comfortably for impeachment.'
If the Assembly does vote to charge Cuomo, he would then stand trial before the state Senate and would be stripped of his powers during the trial, making Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul the acting governor.
Judges from the state's highest court, the Court of Appeals, would hear the case.
That could be an advantage for Cuomo, who appointed all seven of the judges.
The trial would have to begin within 30 to 60 days of the impeachment vote, and it's unclear how long it would take. Sulzer's lasted three weeks.
Of the 69 senators and judges who would make up the impeachment court, two-thirds, or 46, would have to vote to convict to remove Cuomo from office.
Skoufis told MSNBC that 'the writing is exquisitely on the wall here.'
He added that Cuomo 'can count the votes. He knows what's going on.'
Skoufis continued: 'It's over. There's no maybe, there's no gray area, there's no conceivable scenario or path where he can ride this out.
'He will no longer be governor, and it's only a matter of time before that happens.
'My hope, I think everyone's hope, is that he resigns, he steps down willingly and spares the state, spares the Democratic Party, from an ugly impeachment proceeding.'
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