ALBANY — Gov. Andrew Cuomo vowed to stay in office on Friday, saying that he was "elected by the people" and not the politicians currently demanding his resignation.
"Women have a right to come forward and be heard, and I encourage that fully. But I also want to be clear, there is still a question of the truth.
I did not do what has been alleged. Period," he said on a conference call on Friday. "There are now two reviews underway ... Let them do it! I'm not going to argue this issue in the press, that is not how it is done, that is not the way it should be done."He characterized calls from elected officials demanding his resignation as "bowing to cancel culture" and "politics at its worst."
Cuomo has made similar statements on several occasions in recent weeks. But the call on Friday was the first time he had addressed the public since Assembly Democrats announced on Thursday that they would launch an investigation into the governor's behavior that could lay the groundwork for an impeachment.
The drumbeat of elected officials calling for him to resign continued since then — the number of state legislators who have publicly said they’ve lost faith in his ability to serve has now passed the total needed to impeach the governor and remove him from office.