| | | | | |  | | By Erin Durkin, Anna Gronewold and Téa Kvetenadze | Five months of anticipation, and in one afternoon, a seismic shift. Just six hours after New York Attorney General Tish James announced that she and her team verified 11 reports of sexual harassment against Gov. Andrew Cuomo in violation of both state and federal law, Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie announced Democratic legislators were ready to kick the governor out of office. Heastie said yesterday evening the devastating details uncovered in James' monthslong investigation made it clear to his conference Cuomo could no longer lead — according to some reports, there was "no support" in Cuomo's defense during an emergency meeting. The Assembly will proceed "expeditiously" to "conclude our impeachment investigation as quickly as possible," he said. We don't know exactly how the state's second-ever impeachment will go, but it's now likely we'll watch it play out in real time very soon. The Assembly Dems who want him out are now joined by… almost everyone. James' report prompted some of Cuomo's biggest allies to make definitive calls for an end of his reign, including President Joe Biden, the governors of New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Connecticut and Rhode Island, and a handful of Democrats in the congressional delegation who had held out. Former counsel and member of Cuomo's inner circle, Alphonso David (who himself was named in the report), joined the chorus as well. Though James said her findings were civil, rather than criminal, in nature, Albany County DA David Soares told NBC Nightly News that his office is now conducting its own independent investigation because the allegations make it "pretty clear that we have an obligation here." Cuomo still denies wrongdoing and said in a 14-minute pre-recorded video response that both his words and actions were misinterpreted by James, the investigators, and the women who reported them. He's also repeated his defense that it is common for politicians to touch men and women of all ages and sexual orientations. To emphasize his point, the position paper Cuomo's attorney released to counter James' report includes several scrapbook-style photo pages of various politicians, including Biden, Barack Obama, George W. Bush and himself, hugging and kissing people in all sorts of settings. The internet was dismayed by the photo selections and largely unconvinced by this argument. Do the deep dive: First, don't sleep on the Easter eggs buried deep in the 168-page report and its appendices , including an army of familiar New York names "consulting" in Cuomo PR strategy sessions, regular assertions top aide Melissa DeRosa is "notoriously bad with names and faces," and comms director Rich Azzopardi's use of Wite-Out when leaking personnel files. And second: Get another cup of coffee (and maybe a glass of water). This isn't even close to over. IT'S WEDNESDAY. Got tips, suggestions or thoughts? Let us know ... By email: EDurkin@politico.com and agronewold@politico.com, or on Twitter: @erinmdurkin and @annagronewold WHERE'S ANDREW? No public schedule. WHERE'S BILL? Appearing on MSNBC's Morning Joe and CBS This Morning and holding a media availability. QUOTE OF THE DAY: "Ugh, no, no! Not off the record!" — Albany Times Union editor Casey Seiler, in a transcript from an argument with Cuomo's staff about the paper's reporting of sexual harassment | | | | STEP INSIDE THE WEST WING: What's really happening in West Wing offices? Find out who's up, who's down, and who really has the president's ear in our West Wing Playbook newsletter, the insider's guide to the Biden White House and Cabinet. For buzzy nuggets and details that you won't find anywhere else, subscribe today. | | | | |
|  | WHAT ALBANY'S READING | | "Governor Cuomo, It's Time to Resign," by The New York Times Editorial Board: "Last winter, after the first wave of accusations of sexual misconduct and harassment by Gov. Andrew Cuomo of New York came to light, this board called for an investigation to run its course and for legal authorities to carry out the slow and careful work of separating allegations from evidence. At the same time, we questioned whether Mr. Cuomo could continue to serve as the state's leader, given both the seriousness of the allegations and the collapse of political support among his allies in New York and Washington. The answer, which came on Tuesday in the form of a thorough and damning report by the state's attorney general, Letitia James, is a decisive no. "From the report, for which investigators interviewed 179 witnesses and gathered more than 74,000 pieces of evidence, two things are clear. First, Mr. Cuomo may yet face legal consequences for his alleged actions, which include a yearslong pattern of 'unwelcome and nonconsensual touching,' 'offensive comments' and other improper behavior toward at least 11 women, several on his staff. Second, regardless of what may happen in a court of law, the governor has only one conscionable option left: He should resign." — EDITORIAL BOARDS UNITE: The Washington Post: Andrew Cuomo is unfit for office; USA Today: The report is in, and it's clear. Gov. Andrew Cuomo must resign now; Times Union: Cuomo is unfit for office; Buffalo News: AG's report documents misconduct that Cuomo cannot overcome; Advance Media NY: Assembly must impeach Gov. Cuomo now; Newsday: It's time for Cuomo to resign; Daily News: Indefensible Andrew: Even if Cuomo was just clueless and not predatory, he has created a workplace rife with sexual harassment; New York Post: Andrew Cuomo has to go — right now; The Wall Street Journal: The Andrew Cuomo Standard "Cuomo administration covered up his request to get female trooper," by Times Union's Brendan J. Lyons: "Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo's administration, including the State Police, allegedly misled the Times Union in December about the governor's request to have a young female trooper that he found attractive appointed to his protective detail in 2018 — a job for which she did not meet the minimum standards at the time that she was given the position. The Times Union had asked both Cuomo's office and the State Police about the female trooper's appointment to the coveted job on the governor's Protective Services Unit — an appointment that was made after the governor met the now-30-year-old trooper during a ceremony at the Robert F. Kennedy Bridge in New York City in November 2017. The governor, according to a report issued Tuesday by the state attorney general's office, directed that the trooper be offered the job and subsequently sexually harassed her after she was reassigned to his protective detail two months later." "'Completely Violated': Women Describe Cuomo's Groping and Intimidation," by The New York Times' Matt Flegenheimer: "The governor placed his finger on the back of the trooper's neck, standing behind her in an elevator at his Manhattan office, tracing the path of her spine with a two-word narration: 'Hey, you.' Sometimes, he asked questions — Why didn't she wear a dress? Why pursue marriage when 'your sex drive goes down' afterward? Could he kiss her? — and sometimes, he made statements: He remarked that his ideal girlfriend could 'handle pain.' He said that the trooper, in her late 20s, was 'too old' for him. He directed her to say nothing of their conversations. The trooper was perhaps most unsettled after an event on Long Island in 2019. As she held a door open for him, she felt the palm of his hand on her bellybutton, pressing toward her right hip, where she kept her gun. 'I felt completely violated,' she later told investigators. 'But, you know, I'm here to do a job.' Doing a job at the behest of Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo was long known to be taxing and often demeaning work. But a 165-page report released on Tuesday by the state attorney general is at once the fullest accounting yet of his executive misdeeds and a meticulous rendering of how that conduct was permitted to fester in the first place." — A high-ranking lawyer in the governor's office resigned because of the sexual assault allegations and the governor's response to them. "New details emerge about how CNN anchor Chris Cuomo advised Gov. Andrew Cuomo in sex harassment inquiry," by NBC News's David K. Li: "State prosecutors shed new light Tuesday on CNN anchor Chris Cuomo's involvement in managing the response to the sexual harassment scandal surrounding his brother, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo. Chris Cuomo was in the governor's inner circle as they developed talking points and strategies in late February as accusations threatened the three-term governor, according to emails and text messages made public by investigators for New York Attorney General Letitia James. In May, Chris Cuomo admitted having had 'inappropriate' strategy talks with his brother and vowed to steer clear of the network's coverage of the governor. Tuesday's report from the attorney general hinted at the depth of the strategy consultations." WHO CONTROLS IT AGAIN? "Sexual Harassment Investigation Report Could Derail Cuomo Plans for MTA," by THE CITY's Jose Martinez: "On Tuesday, the MTA declared its new acting chief and two other top executives would 'make announcements' at noon — but the sexual harassment investigation embroiling Gov. Andrew Cuomo apparently got in the way. Cuomo had earlier revealed plans for a new international terminal at Kennedy Airport that will connect to the existing gateway for JetBlue, which will stay in Queens after considering a move to Florida. But the MTA sent out an 'EVENT POSTPONED' email shortly after State Attorney General Letitia James began detailing how her investigation concluded Cuomo sexually harassed multiple women. That upended a scheduled noon event with Janno Lieber, whom the governor installed last week as acting chairperson and CEO. 'No comment' was all an MTA spokesperson said when asked by THE CITY whether James' report was behind the late change of plans at an agency famously micromanaged by Cuomo." #UpstateAmerica: Take a quick mental break by traveling way back in time to the famous Sterling Renaissance Festival, which takes up the whole village and is celebrating its 45th anniversary in Cayuga County this year. | | WHAT CITY HALL'S READING | | "Eric Adams calls for Cuomo impeachment to 'move forward' if governor doesn't resign," by New York Post's Sam Raskin: "Democratic mayoral nominee Eric Adams said Tuesday that state lawmakers should impeach Gov. Andrew Cuomo if he does not resign in the wake of the attorney general's bombshell sexual harassment probe. 'Attorney General James conducted a thorough and revealing investigation that yielded disturbing conclusions about the conduct of Governor Cuomo,' Adams said in a statement, released Tuesday afternoon. Adams, who on July 14 appeared with Cuomo, said the legislature's lower house should quickly 'move forward' with the impeachment process. 'It is now the duty of the New York State Assembly to take swift and appropriate action and move forward with impeachment proceedings if the Governor will not resign.'" — "Carl Heastie: The Man Who Would Oversee Cuomo's Impeachment," by The New York Times' Shane Goldmacher "De Blasio blasts Cuomo over investigation: He should resign or be impeached," by The Hill's Mychael Schnell: "New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio (D) called on New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) to resign on Tuesday after an investigation found Cuomo sexually harassed 11 different women, some of whom worked in his office, and violated other state and federal laws. 'It is beyond clear that Andrew Cuomo is not fit to hold office and can no longer serve as Governor. He must resign, and if he continues to resist and attack the investigators who did their jobs, he should be impeached immediately,' de Blasio wrote in a statement. He said the revelations from the investigation, launched by New York Attorney General Letitia James (D), are 'disqualifying.'" THE OTHER NEWS: New York City to mandate vaccines for indoor restaurants, gyms, performances, by POLITICO's Amanda Eisenberg: Mayor Bill de Blasio announced a new policy Tuesday that requires people to show proof of Covid-19 vaccination to dine inside restaurants, work out at a gym, attend a play or go out dancing. The new program to "unlock New York City" will begin Aug. 16, with enforcement set to start Sept. 13, according to City Hall. Enforcement will fall to the city health department and businesses could be fined, though the details still need to be worked out in the coming weeks, the mayor said. "When someone is vaccinated, they can do all the amazing things in New York City," de Blasio said Tuesday. "If you're unvaccinated, unfortunately you will not be able to participate in many things. — "The Bronx Has the Lowest Vaccine Rates In the City. Will New Mandates Help?" by The City's Claudia Irizarry Aponte : "The challenge is steepest in The Bronx, which has the lowest vaccination rate of any borough … Just 51% of Bronx residents had received at least one dose of the vaccine as of Monday, city Department of Health and Mental Hygiene stats show, compared to 55% of Staten Islanders, the borough with the lowest vaccination rate until recently, and 72% of Manhattan residents, the borough with the highest rate. Brooklyn has hit 53% and Queens 66%. Overall, 60% of city residents — about 5 million — have received at least one shot." | | | | SUBSCRIBE TO "THE RECAST" TODAY: Power is shifting in Washington and in communities across the country. More people are demanding a seat at the table, insisting that politics is personal and not all policy is equitable. The Recast is a twice-weekly newsletter that explores the changing power dynamics in Washington and breaks down how race and identity are recasting politics and policy in America. Get fresh insights, scoops and dispatches on this crucial intersection from across the country and hear critical new voices that challenge business as usual. Don't miss out, SUBSCRIBE . Thank you to our sponsor, Intel. | | | | |
| | AROUND NEW YORK | | — Republican mayoral nominee Curtis Sliwa asked Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to match his offer of a $20,000 reward for information about a Queens mass shooting. — Free tickets to the city's Central Park reopening concert have been hard to get. — The vast majority of Erie County residents who died from Covid since April were unvaccinated. — New York is up to 33 counties where the CDC recommends mask-wearing. — An anti-poverty group announced a push to improve vaccine rates in New York, including in Black communities that have proven hesitant. — What could go wrong? The Bills Mafia cruise, a chance to tailgate for six days on the open seas, sets sail next May. — A wannabe ghostbuster fell through the roof of an abandoned train station in Buffalo. — A Catholic seminary teacher admitted to stalking a journalist who covered sexual abuse allegations against the Buffalo diocese. | | SOCIAL DATA BY DANIEL LIPPMAN | | HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Former President Barack Obama is 6-0 … House Democratic Caucus Chair Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) … Daniel Moss of Bloomberg Opinion … Chobani's Cristina Alesci … Edelman's Helen Lapkovsky … CBS' Katie Watson … Alex Mallin of ABC … former U.S. Treasurer Rosario Marin … IMG's Maura McGreevy … Sinan Salaheddin Mahmoud ... Amelia Irvine … Rabbi Eliyahu Ben Haim ... Frederic Bloch ... Daniel Gross | | REAL ESTATE | | "Real Estate Developers Already Worrying About 421a Expiring Next Year," by Commercial Observer's Rebecca Baird-Remba: "It's been five years since the last fight over New York City's most controversial development tax break — 421a — and developers are already preparing for the worst when the current version of the tax exemption expires in June 2022. No one in the real estate industry knows what the state legislature will do. Will it repeal the 421a program entirely, or replace it with a new version that requires more apartments for lower-income New Yorkers in new buildings than the current iteration? The uncertainty has kicked off a rush of new building applications, zoning applications, and harried calls to real estate lawyers." | | | | Follow us on Twitter | | | | Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook family Playbook | Playbook PM | California Playbook | Florida Playbook | Illinois Playbook | Massachusetts Playbook | New Jersey Playbook | New York Playbook | Brussels Playbook | London Playbook View all our political and policy newsletters | | Follow us | | | | |
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