Heastie: Assembly will drop impeachment inquiry into Cuomo
(The Center Square) – New York Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie announced Friday afternoon that the impeachment inquiry into Gov. Andrew Cuomo will be dropped in light of his promise to resign.
Heastie, a longtime ally of Cuomo who was one of the last holdouts among state leaders when it came to calling for the governor to step down following sexual harassment allegations, said impeachment was made moot by his resignation and that it was uncertain whether they had the legal authority to move forward anyway.
“There are two reasons for this decision,” Heastie said in a news release. “First, the purpose of the Assembly Judiciary Committee’s impeachment investigation was to determine whether Governor Cuomo should remain in office. The governor’s resignation answers that directive. Second, we have been advised by Chair [Charles] Lavine – with the assistance of counsel – of the belief that the constitution does not authorize the legislature to impeach and remove an elected official who is no longer in office.”
Cuomo, a third-term Democrat, announced Aug. 10 that he would be resigning effective in 14 days, bowing to the wave of public condemnation and the likelihood that impeachment would result in his removal following a report from the state Attorney General’s Office that supported the sexual harassment allegations of 11 women.
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