The reaction from Hollywood and inside the Beltway was unanimous Tuesday after New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo resigned, punctuating a months-long sexual harassment scandal: Good riddance.
Megan McCain for instance called the soon-to-be former governor a “ghoul.”
Actor Alec Baldwin called it a “tragic day” and a reflection of the kind of people drawn to modern-day politics.
George Takei also highlighted a wider historical context, though with a trademark upbeat message – erring on the side of sarcasm.
Cuomo’s resignation came one week after the state’s Attorney General, Letitia James, released a 165-page report documenting multiple accusations of sexual harassment against nearly a dozen women. The governor, who was facing impeachment, will leave office in two weeks, and Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul, a fellow Democrat, will serve the rest of his term, becoming the state’s first female governor.
“Given the circumstances, the best way I can help now is if I step aside and let government get back to government, and therefore that is what I’ll do, because I work for you, and doing the right thing, is doing the right thing for you,” Cuomo said during the televised press conference.
Before announcing his resignation, Cuomo denied the allegations against him, stating that, “In my mind, I never crossed the line with anyone, but I didn’t realize the extent to which the line has been redrawn.”
Cuomo also denied the allegations in a press conference, after the report was released last week.
The report, which included interviews with 179 people, said that in harassing his former and current employees, Cuomo created a “hostile work environment.” The report also revealed that Cuomo and his team had retaliated against a former employee who accused him of harassment. Allegations of misconduct first came out in February when former aide Lindsey Boylan accused Cuomo of sexual harassment.
New York Mayor Bill de Blasio, with whom Cuomo has clashed with frequently, said Cuomo’s resignation announcement was “past time” and “for the good of all New York.”
Lindsey Boylan, Cuomo’s former aide who made some of the allegations that were investigated in the report, said on Twitter that she was “in awe” of the other women who came forward to report their own harassment.
Take a look at more of the reactions to Cuomo’s resignation – including Meghan McCain and others below.
Megyn Kelly thanked the people who came after Janice Dean, a frequent critic of Cuomo’s handling of the pandemic in nursing homes, as she lost both her father-in-law and mother-in-law, each a resident of a assisted living facility or nursing home in New York, due to complications of COVID-19, for “helping to motivate” her to continue sharing her criticisms.
A few people acknowledged Cuomo’s resignation, but went on to call him out for not resigning amid his mishandling of the COVID-19 pandemic in New York nursing homes, similar to Dean’s criticisms.
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