White House press secretary Jen Psaki declined to provide a White House reaction to Democratic New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s resignation announcement Tuesday, instead reiterating President Joe Biden’s views on the scandal.
New York Attorney General Letitia James announced Aug. 3 that an independent investigation determined Cuomo sexually harassed multiple women. Cuomo maintained his innocence Tuesday but said New York’s state government wouldn’t be able to focus on fighting the COVID-19 pandemic if he was in office. Therefore, he noted, he was resigning.
Psaki said Biden “made clear his views last week” when he reiterated that the New York governor should resign. Biden previously told ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos back in March that Cuomo should resign if the investigation confirmed the allegations. (RELATED: Biden: Cuomo Should Resign If Sexual Misconduct Allegations Are Confirmed)
“Those [views] stand,” Psaki told reporters shortly after Cuomo’s announcement. “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 concluded today and an outcome that the president called for just last week.”
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Psaki said Biden hasn’t spoken with Cuomo since the investigation came out. She also said the White House didn’t get “a heads up on this announcement today.”
Cuomo claimed Tuesday that he’s “never crossed the line with anyone” but admitted he “didn’t realize the extent to which the line has been redrawn.” He declared his love for New York and thanked “the women that came forward with sincere complaints.”
Biden hasn’t yet issued any statement or commented on Cuomo’s resignation. He’s expected to give remarks on the Senate passage of the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act later Tuesday afternoon.