LAWYER ANDREW CUOMO - ANOTHER REMINDER LAWYERS, LIKE FELLONS, SHOULD NEVER HOLD ELECTIVE OFFICE

 

N.Y. Legislature agrees to remove Gov. Cuomo’s emergency powers

UPI

2 Mar 202116

March 2 (UPI) — The New York State Legislature agreed Tuesday to repeal Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s emergency powers that were granted to him at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Senate Democratic leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins and Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie announced the legislature would pass legislation to immediately strip Cuomo of the powers that were set to expire April 30.

“A year into the pandemic and as New Yorkers receive the vaccine, the temporary emergency powers have served their purpose — it is time for them to be repealed,” Heastie said. “These temporary emergency powers were granted as New York was devastated by a virus we knew nothing about. Now it is time for our government to return to regular order.”

As the pandemic emerged last March, the legislature granted Cuomo broad authority to issue executive orders critical to New York’s pandemic response.

Under the new legislation, Cuomo’s executive orders related to managing the spread or reduction of COVID-19, facilitating the vaccination process or requiring the use of face coverings will remain in effect for an additional 30 days. In order to modify or extend the directives further, Cuomo will be required to notify the Legislature.

“I think everyone understands where we were back in March and where we are now,” Stewart-Cousins said. “We certainly see the need for a quick response but also want to move toward a system of increased oversight and review. The public deserves to have checks and balances.”

The decision came as Cuomo faces separate investigations for an alleged coverup of the COVID-19 death toll in the state’s nursing homes and multiple allegations of sexual harassment, however, neither was mentioned in Tuesday’s announcement.

New York Attorney General Letitia James issued a statement saying the executive chamber transmitted a referral to her office Monday providing her the authority to move forward with an independent investigation into the sexual harassment allegations.

“This is not a responsibility we take lightly as allegations of sexual harassment should always be taken seriously,” she said.

Exclusive: New York Rep. Lee Zeldin Won’t Rule Out Gubernatorial Run, Says Cuomo Scandals Threaten Single-Party Rule in State

Drew Angerer/Getty Images

ROBERT KRAYCHIK

2 Mar 202151

3:23

Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-NY) would not rule out campaigning for governorship of New York when asked on Tuesday if he would consider running against Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) by Breitbart News Editor-in-Chief Alex Marlow.

Zeldin joined Marlow on SiriusXM’s Breitbart News Daily to discuss calls from some Democrats for Cuomo to resign following new accusations of sexual harassment against the New York governor.

Marlow asked, “Are you considering running [for governor of New York]?”

Zeldin replied, “We shall see what is ahead for us over the course of these coming weeks and this next year and a half. I know for sure one thing, that I will do absolutely everything in my power to make sure that Andrew Cuomo doesn’t get a fourth term. That I can tell you with absolute certainty.”

Marlow responded, “Well, that is not a no, which is very cool.”

LISTEN:

Zeldin described New Yorkers’ growing dissatisfaction with Cuomo’s governorship as an opportunity for conservatives to change the political status quo in the Empire State.

“Every level of [New York’s] government — New York City, Albany, D.C. — is all one-party Democratic rule,” Zeldin stated. “So there might be a big blowback against what we’re seeing [with Cuomo] on many levels in favor of Republicans.”

Zeldin said, “Some Democrats are absolutely fed up with Andrew Cuomo, and you have people who will talk about their loss of freedoms. Maybe their kids aren’t back fully in school, or their small business isn’t open, or their taxes are too much and their family’s moving away, or the public safety has been eroded between cashless bail or the defund the police movement out of New York City.”

In February, Cuomo’s top aide admitted that the governor’s office withheld the number of deaths related to the Chinese coronavirus in New York nursing homes to shield the Cuomo government from federal investigation and political scrutiny.

Regarding the Cuomo administration’s nursing home scandal, Zeldin said, “there was a decision point, and if you’re the governor, you can decide to own up to it, to show remorse, to change policy, very publicly be transparent with information, and try to move on from there, but instead the play call was to cover it up.”

“So many Democrats [and] New Yorkers resoundly across the spectrum are deciding it’s time for [Cuomo] to go,” Zeldin added.

“Democrats have decided that they had enough of [Cuomo],” Zeldin said. “The life expectancy for the bullying, the harassment, the intimidation, and the abuse appears to be about ten years in the governor’s office for him. He never built up any reservoir of goodwill.”

Zeldin continued, “What’s coming to light now feels like it’s just a sampling of what may come in the future, and all of that on top of what was a deadly nursing home policy that resulted in a cover-up. New Yorkers have had enough. There were a whole lot of people who already decided that Cuomo’s got to go, but what’s different now is you have a lot of Democrats [calling for Cuomo’s removal].”

Breitbart News Daily broadcasts live on SiriusXM Patriot 125 weekdays from 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. Eastern.