Scandal-plagued anti-gun Democrat Gov. Andrew Cuomo is stepping down in two weeks amid growing allegations of sexual harassment, escaping a potential impeachment.
Cuomo, who has been an ardent anti-gunner since taking office, championed the SAFE (Secure Ammunition and Firearms Enforcement) Act in 2013. Last month, he declared a statewide “gun violence disaster emergency” and created the “Governor’s Council on Gun Violence Reduction.”
The governor’s problems have been increasing in recent days as more accusations of sexual harassment have surfaced. In his third term, Cuomo apologized for “any behavior deemed inappropriate,” according to Fox News.
Gov. Cuomo, once seen as a potential presidential contender, could be finished in politics.
This does not mean New York gun owners are out of danger, however. He will be succeeded by Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul, also a Democrat, but described as a “moderate” from western New York’s Buffalo area. She will become the state’s first woman governor.
But Cuomo may not be out of trouble, either, and his problems may be more immediate. According to the Associated Press, “Cuomo still faces the possibility of criminal charges, with a number of prosecutors around the state continuing to investigate him. At least one of his accusers has filed a criminal complaint.”
Republicans want him impeached, anyway, to prevent him from running for political office again, the AP story said.
New York’s Democrats have not been too successful in public office in recent years. Former Gov. Eliot Spitzer, who left office amid a prostitution scandal. Congressman Anthony Weiner landed in prison for “sexting” with a 15-year-old girl, the AP noted, and former Attorney General Eric Schneiderman quit in 2018 “after four women accused him of abuse.”
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