12 August 2021: Editorial - Impeach Cuomo to Make Him Pay

Impeach Cuomo anyway — so he pays the full price for his misconduct

We've excerpted the introduction and the conclusion to the editorial below, the omitted part in between is a recounting of Andrew M. Cuomo's multiple scandals, so please click through the link above for those details. Here's the introduction:

Gov. Andrew Cuomo has delayed his exit for two weeks. Why? Because he wants to. The Assembly should take the opportunity to impeach him anyway, so the state Senate can vote him guilty.

It’s their duty to the people of New York to ensure Cuomo pays the full penalty for his gross misconduct.

Here's the conclusion:

... the impeachment question is up to the Assembly as a whole, and Speaker Carl Heastie has long been reluctant to go after Cuomo, a longtime ally. He won’t be moved by the near-universal Republican support to make the gov pay and maybe not by similar calls from progressives like state Sen. Alessandra Biaggi (Bx-W’chester).

But Biaggi is right: “Resignation is not accountability,” so “the Legislature has to continue to move forward with impeachment proceedings.” Indeed: “Just resignation means that he is permitted to run for office again, and we have to ensure that is not the case.”

Cuomo hopes to mount a comeback someday. Heck, he even hasn’t admitted any real wrongdoing, even when it comes to harassment. His legal team was still attacking his accusers minutes before he announced his resignation.

He clearly figures the public will forget the sorry details. It’s the Legislature’s duty to see that he suffers the full consequences for his actions.

If impeached, Cuomo would become responsible for paying his legal defense bills for offenses racked up during his tenure as New York's governor. Otherwise, New York taxpayers will be on the hook for paying his expensive lawyers. Why should NY lawmakers gift Cuomo with such a generous retirement benefit by not impeaching him? And that's not even counting his $50,000 per year state pension.