Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, D-N.Y., officially left office at midnight on Tuesday after resigning amid several sexual harassment allegations. Former Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul, D-N.Y., was sworn in to succeed him as the first female governor of New York.
Cuomo formally relented the governorship just two weeks following New York Attorney General Letitia James’ report which declared Cuomo guilty of sexually harassing at least 11 women.
In a pre-recorded farewell address, Cuomo called the Attorney General’s report “a political firecracker on an explosive topic” and a “political and media stampede.”
Hours after leaving office, Cuomo was stripped of the Emmy Award he received for his handling of Covid-19 last year despite that he is blamed for the controversial deaths of hundreds, if not thousands, of nursing home residents.
“The International Academy announced today that in light of the New York Attorney General’s report, and Andrew Cuomo subsequent resignation as governor, it is rescinding his special 2020 international Emmy Award,” said the International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. “His name and any reference to his receiving the award will be eliminated from International Academy material going forward.”
Cuomo was awarded an Emmy in November 2020 for his handling of the Covid-19 pandemic. However, the former governor has come under fire for a nursing home scandal in which he reportedly forced Covid-19-positive patients back into nursing homes, leading to many deaths in the elderly community. He also faces scrutiny for his implementation of some of the nation’s strictest pandemic-related lockdowns.
Cuomo, who was once seen as a potential presidential candidate for the Democrats, will not run for governor in 2022. Kathy Hochul has announced that she intends on running for a full term in the next gubernatorial election.