President Joe Biden led pandemic praise for New York Governor Andrew Cuomo , calling him the 'gold standard of leadership' a...
President Joe Biden led pandemic praise for New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, calling him the 'gold standard of leadership' and gushing that he was an 'example for all Americans'.
Biden is under intense pressure to distance himself from the embattled governor amid mounting allegations of sexual harassment, bullying, racism and in some cases, sexual assault.
Cuomo denies all wrongdoing and is refusing to resign. New York Attorney General Letitia James is investing the claims against him.
But the sexual misconduct claims combined with allegations of a cover-up over how many COVID-19 deaths there were in nursing homes is leading many on both sides of the aisle to demand Cuomo's resignation.
The White House is hedging its bets.
On Monday, Press Secretary Jen Psaki said that while the allegations against him were 'troubling', she wanted to see the outcome of the AG's investigation.
In August last year, Biden tweeted that Cuomo had set an example for 'all Americans'
She previously said the fact the pair have been friends for a long time 'doesn't matter'.
In August last year, at the Democratic National Convention, Cuomo gave a ringing endorsement for Biden.
Biden, in return, tweeted: 'Andrew Cuomo, thank you for your leadership and the example you've set for all Americans during this pandemic.'
During an appearance on The Jimmy Fallon Show in April, months earlier, he gushed: 'Your governor in New York's done one hell of a job.
'I think he's the gold standard.'
Cuomo repeatedly batted away calls for him to run for president during the pandemic, when he was hailed as a hero.
He said that his support was firmly behind Joe Biden.
The pair have been friends for years and have formed a close political alliance.
Cuomo traveled to Delaware for Biden's son Beau's funeral in 2015, and Biden attended Cuomo's father Mario's in the same year.
Now, with mounting criticism of him and allegations against him, the President has come under intense pressure to distance himself from him.
After first calling the allegations against him 'troubling', White Press Secretary Jen Psaki on Monday hinted that he may soon be stripped of his title within the Governors' Association, but she also shied away from taking a firm position on the subject, saying instead they would wait the outcome of the Attorney General's investigation.
'It would be up to the NGA to determine if they were to make a change on that front,' she said.
Cuomo and Biden, shown together in 2015, have been friends and political allies for years. They are shown together at a 9/11 Memorial in 2020
She however said that the President would not take a side or any form of action until the investigation is complete.
'Our focus from here, from the federal government is of course supporting that independent investigation, which we adamantly do.'
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said on Monday the allegations were 'troubling'
Last Friday, Psaki said during an appearance on GMA: 'The president has known him a long time but that doesn't matter in this scenario.
'I would say the president, VP, we all believe that every one of these women coming forward should be treated with respect, should have her voice heard,' she added.
'It's hard for me as a woman to read a lot of these stories and sometimes we wake up and there's a new one, but we believe there in an independent investigation that's ongoing, led by the attorney general with subpoena power and we certainly support that moving forward'.
Last week, during a conference call with reporters, Cuomo refused to stand down and instead questioned the motives of his accusers.
'What is being alleged just did not happen. The last allegation is not true and I have not had a sexual relationship that was inappropriate period. OK. Thank you,' before hanging up.
'Women have a right to come forward and be heard and I encourage that but I also want to be clear- there is still a question of the truth.
'I did not do what has been alleged. Period. I won’t speculate about people's possible motives, but I can tell you as a former Attorney General, who's gone through this situation many times, there are often many motivations for making an allegation.
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