(CNN)
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio called on Gov. Andrew Cuomo to resign immediately or face impeachment, saying he believes the governor is guilty of “sexual assault” and could be held criminally responsible for his alleged actions.
“It’s disgusting,” said de Blasio. “…My heart goes out to these women… They were put through hell by a powerful man who held their career in his hands and used that power to manipulate, to have his way.”
“This is textbook sexual harassment and unfortunately… in some cases, sexual assault,” he continued. “Disgusting and troubling and unacceptable and he needs to leave office immediately.”
De Blasio went on to dismiss the defense Cuomo laid out for himself in a video presentation earlier today as “laughable.”
“If he won’t resign, he should be impeached as quickly as possible by the state legislator,” the mayor said. “He can’t govern.”
De Blasio went on to suggest he believed the governor should face criminal liability over the allegations.
“It looks that way to me,” he said, when asked by CNN’s Wolf Blitzer if Cuomo should he face criminal charges. “Any assault on a woman, and the assault on a woman, you should face criminal charges. But if you, on top of that, use your power and position to think you could cover up the assault, well, that sounds criminal to me.”
