‘I thought he did a hell of a thing… so it’s so sad’: Biden says he ‘respects’ govt. Cuomo’s decision to resign after AG report found he sexually assaulted 11 women
- President Joe Biden called the fall of New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo “tragic” because he had done “hell’s work” before the sexual assault claims surfaced.
- The President said on Tuesday afternoon, ‘I respect the decision of the Governor and I respect the decision taken by him.
- Biden went back and forth with CNN’s Caitlan Collins after another reporter asked the president to grade Cuomo’s performance as normal.
- ‘I thought he did a hell of a job. I thought he had done a lot of work,’ Biden said, particularly highlighting voting rights and infrastructure. ‘That’s why it’s so sad’
- Biden rebukes Collins when he asked how the president could say no when Cuomo was accused of sexually assaulting women
- The President said, ‘I was asked a specific question which I am specifically trying to answer
- When asked if he should look at Cuomo’s professional and personal behavior through a different lens, he replied ‘No, I am not’
President Joe Biden told reporters on Tuesday that New York Gov. Andrew CuomoHis downfall was ‘tragic’ as he had done ‘hell’s work’ as governor before an investigation found that he had sexually assaulted 11 women.
“I respect the governor’s decision and I respect the decision he made,” Biden said in a Q&A with reporters after giving infrastructure remarks on Tuesday afternoon.
When asked to grade the governor’s performance specifically, Biden made it clear that CBS’s Ed O’Keefe meant out of the harassment allegations. O’Keefe said he did.
‘I thought he did a hell of a job. I thought he had done a lot of work,’ Biden said, particularly highlighting voting rights and infrastructure. ‘That’s why it’s very sad.’
That response prompted CNN’s Caitlan Collins to pop up and ask how Biden could say that the governor was accused of sexually assaulting women.
President Joe Biden called the resignation of New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo ‘tragic’ during a back-and-forth with reporters at the White House on Tuesday after calling on Democrats to resign a week ago.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo arrives in his helicopter to depart from Manhattan on Tuesday after announcing his resignation. Biden publicly called on Cuomo to resign a week ago
‘Look, you asked two different questions. You asked the original: whether he should stay on as governor is a question – and whether women should be trusted when they make accusations that, on their face, are understandable and investigated. He was investigated and it was decided that what he said was correct,’ Biden began.
‘It’s one thing,’ the president continued. ‘The question is whether they did a good job on the infrastructure, that was the question. He has done.’
Collins pointed out that the question was usually asked about Cuomo’s performance of work, while O’Keefe clarified that he had asked Biden to rate the outgoing New York governor “outside his personal behavior.”
Collins then asked if Biden could separate the two.
‘No, I am not,’ replied the President. ‘I was asked a specific question and I am specifically trying to answer.’
Earlier during Q&A, Biden had briefed his answers on Cuomo and offered at one point that he did not want to answer any further questions about the Democratic governor.
When Biden was asked how Cuomo’s resignation would affect the Democratic Party, Biden replied, “I think that impacted Andrew Cuomo and his decision to take that decision and I respect his decision.”
Biden called on Cuomo to resign last Tuesday, following announcements by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer.
“I think he should resign,” Biden told reporters as he stood by his previous statement that the New York Democrat should step down if the investigation found the sexual assault allegations against Cuomo to be credible.
When asked whether Cuomo should be impeached and removed from office, the president replied, “Let’s take one thing at a time here.” When asked whether Cuomo should be prosecuted, he also deferred.
Cuomo initially refused to resign and is protesting a damning report by AG Letitia James that found he sexually assaulted 11 women.
He has given several explanations for his behavior during the two press conferences.
Cuomo used a scene of Biden in a slideshow of his tactile behavior at last week’s press conference, explaining how he is.
When asked about the inclusion, Biden replied, ‘Look, I’m not going to blow this spec.’
Biden said, “I’m sure there were some embraces that were completely innocent, but apparently the attorney general decided there were things that weren’t.”
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said in her press briefing on Tuesday that the White House was not given any information about what Cuomo was going to say.
Cuomo’s press conference was scheduled for around the same time that the Senate was voting on Biden’s $1.2 trillion infrastructure deal with Republicans.
Psaki also said that Biden never called Cuomo to prompt him to resign, after saying he should do so publicly.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo left Manhattan on Tuesday after announcing he plans to resign
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