WINDSOR TERRACE — As a top Democrat called on Governor Andrew Cuomo to resign and GOP assembly members drafted a resolution to impeach him, the governor received some support from rank-and-file Democrats in the assembly. 

A group of at least 20 women, all Democrats, issued a statement against the idea of resignation. Instead, the lawmakers stated, the investigation led by Attorney General Letitia James should conclude before any decisions are made.

“We believe that the Attorney General will exercise due process and expediency in her deliberations,” a statement from the assembly members read. “We request that she be allowed the appropriate time to complete her investigation rather than undermine her role and responsibility as the chief law enforcement officer of the state of New York.” 

On Sunday, Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins called for Cuomo to resign amid a growing number of harassment accusations and the nursing home scandal. She said in a statement that the governor needs to “seriously consider whether he can effectively meet the needs of the people of New York.”

A day later, GOP assembly leader Will Barclay announced that Republican lawmakers would soon introduce an impeachment resolution against Cuomo.

On March 6, two more women came forward with claims of sexual harassment against the governor — bringing the total number of accusers to five.

That number jumped to six on March 9, when the Albany Times Union reported that a woman who worked in the Cuomo Administration had filed a complaint against the governor charging that he had inappropriately touched her. The incident took place in the governor’s mansion last year, the Times Union reported. The woman, who still works in the administration, was not identified.

Ana Liss, a policy aide who worked for Cuomo from 2013 to 2015, accused him of inappropriate behavior. Karen Hinton, who worked as a press aide when Cuomo was the secretary of Housing and Urban Development in the Clinton Administration, accused him of acting inappropriately.

Cuomo has remained defiant amid the turmoil, stating on Sunday that there is “no way I resign.”

As the scandal continued to escalate, the State Legislature voted on Friday, March 5, to strip Cuomo of his power to unilaterally issue executive orders to battle the COVID-19 pandemic.

The State Senate voted 43-20 for a bill that would prevent Cuomo from issuing new executive orders without lawmakers’ approval. However, the same bill would permit the governor to extend executive orders he has already issued. The Assembly approved the bill by a 107-43 vote.