Democratic Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam wouldn’t say if fellow Democrat New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo should resign over the recent attorney general report that found he had sexually harassed multiple women.
Northam has faced calls for resignation himself after a yearbook photo surfaced of him and a friend at a Halloween party wearing a Ku Klux Klan hood and blackface. CBS News chief Washington correspondent Major Garrett asked Northam during a podcast released Friday whether Cuomo should resign given the report. Northam said it was up to the people of New York to decide whether Cuomo should step down.
“What’s happening in New York is very very unfortunate … I would let the people of New York decide his fate,” Northam said. “I certainly have enough on my plate in Virginia not to get into New York politics.” (RELATED: Northam Hits Campaign Trail After Abortion And Blackface Scandals)
NEW: @MajorCBS asks Virginia Governor @RalphNortham about Andrew Cuomo and whether he thinks Cuomo should resign:
Listen to the full podcast here: https://t.co/vlZFjf8AWJ pic.twitter.com/EKD2dFWgKF
— The Takeout w/ Major Garrett (@TakeoutPodcast) August 6, 2021
Garrett then asked Northam how the situation in New York related to the calls for the Virginia governor to resign.
“I would say there’s a significant contrast between what he is being alleged to have done and what I went through 35 years ago,” Northam explained. “It’s apples and oranges.” Northam said his response to Cuomo’s situation was not related to his own experience facing calls for resignation.
“These women need to be believed, they need for people to hear their voices,” he added. “And everybody needs to be able to go to work or just be wherever and be treated right and treated fairly. So that’s what’s unfortunate about this.”
New York Attorney General Letitia James announced Tuesday that an independent investigation concluded Cuomo had sexually harassed multiple women, including making lewd comments and inappropriately touching several staff members. He also participated in a pressure campaign to keep the women quiet, the report found.
James said the governor had violated both state and federal law but would not face charges.