ALBANY, N.Y.—New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo resigned Tuesday in the wake of a report that found he violated state and federal sexual-harassment laws, capping months of speculation over the fate of the politician who had been hailed for his leadership during the pandemic.
The report, issued in early August by New York Attorney General Letitia James, said Mr. Cuomo sexually harassed multiple women, created a hostile work environment and retaliated against at least one former employee.
Mr. Cuomo has denied some of the claims and explained others as misinterpretations.
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Albany County Sheriff Craig Apple said he is investigating a criminal complaint filed by an executive assistant who says the Democratic governor groped her breast and buttocks during encounters at the Executive Mansion —something Mr. Cuomo has denied.
Following the report, senior Democratic lawmakers in Washington and Albany, including President Biden, called for the governor’s resignation.
State legislators said they were close to concluding an impeachment inquiry into the sexual-harassment accusations and Mr. Cuomo’s handling of Covid-19 deaths in nursing homes, setting the stage for the state’s first impeachment proceeding in more than a century. Federal prosecutors are examining how the state reported data on Covid-19 deaths in nursing homes.
Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul, a former member of the U.S. House of Representatives, will take over as governor. The Buffalo, N.Y., resident has spent much of her two terms as lieutenant governor crisscrossing the state and representing the administration at official functions. She will be the first woman to serve as New York’s governor.
Mr. Cuomo’s resignation ends a 10-year run as governor and a four-decade career in politics that began with helping his father, former New York Gov. Mario Cuomo.
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