NY Lawmakers to Open Impeachment Inquiry against Cuomo

New York state lawmakers will begin an impeachment inquiry against Governor Andrew Cuomo amid a pair of burgeoning scandals.

State Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, a Democrat from the Bronx, announced on Thursday that the body’s judiciary committee would take up the inquiry. The committee will have subpoena powers and the ability to interview witnesses while it considers potential articles of impeachment.

The inquiry will cover both scandals that have hobbled the Cuomo administration in recent months. These include the administration’s misrepresentation of the number of coronavirus victims in state nursing homes, as well as accusations that the governor sexually harassed multiple women.

“The reports of accusations concerning the governor are serious,” Heastie said in a statement after a three-hour emergency meeting with lawmakers. Heastie has indicated that he will not proceed to an impeachment trial without the backing of a majority of Democrats in the state Assembly.