EXPLAINER: How Cuomo might be impeached, removed from office

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ALBANY, N.Y. – New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, buffeted by intersexual harassment allegations, is progressively looking similar helium could beryllium impeached and removed from bureau — thing that hasn't happened to the state's politician successful astir 108 years.

A bulk of members of the authorities Assembly, the legislative assemblage that has the powerfulness to commencement impeachment proceedings, have already said they favour removing Cuomo if helium won't resign. Pressure has built since a squad of autarkic investigators hired by the authorities lawyer wide concluded that Cuomo sexually harassed 11 women.

Cuomo, a Democrat, has vowed to enactment successful office, rejecting the allegations against him arsenic either fabricated oregon a misunderstanding of gestures and comments meant to convey warmth.

If the Legislature goes up with an impeachment, it volition travel procedures that person immoderate parallels — and immoderate important differences — to the process the U.S. Congress uses for impeaching presidents.

Here’s a look astatine however impeachment mightiness work:

THE PROCESS

Like astatine the national level, New York impeachments commencement successful the little location of the legislature — successful this case, the Assembly.

The state’s constitution says the Assembly tin impeach officials with a elemental bulk ballot for “misconduct oregon malversation.”

If a bulk of members ballot to impeach, a proceedings connected Cuomo's removal from bureau would beryllium held successful what’s known arsenic the Impeachment Court.

The tribunal consists not lone of members of the authorities Senate, but besides judges of the state’s highest court, the Court of Appeals, who would besides formed votes.

There are 7 appeals tribunal judges and 63 senators, though not each would service connected the impeachment court. Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul (HOH-kull) and Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins would besides typically beryllium members, but they are excluded erstwhile a politician is connected trial.

At slightest two-thirds of the jurors indispensable ballot to convict successful bid to region Cuomo.

HISTORICAL PRECEDENT

New York has lone impeached a politician once, successful 1913, erstwhile Gov. William Sulzer was bounced aft conscionable 289 days successful bureau successful what helium claimed was retribution for turning his backmost connected the almighty Tammany Hall Democratic machine.

Sulzer was accused of failing to study thousands of dollars successful run contributions and commingling run funds with idiosyncratic funds. He blasted the court’s concealed deliberations, complaining: “A equine thief successful frontier days would person received a squarer deal.”

SIDELINING CUOMO

If Cuomo were impeached by the Assembly, the authorities constitution forces him to measurement speech immediately, according to immoderate ineligible experts, and stay connected the sidelines until his proceedings is complete.

That’s a melodramatic quality from what happens erstwhile the U.S. president is impeached.

When Sulzer was impeached, Lt. Gov. Martin Glynn was appointed acting governor. Sulzer, however, didn’t judge his suspension, arguing that the authorities constitution allowed him to proceed performing his duties until helium was convicted.

The quality was ne'er decided by a court, but Gerald Benjamin — an adept connected the New York Constitution and a governmental idiosyncratic astatine SUNY New Paltz — said helium believed the rules governing impeachment are clear: Cuomo would person to temporarily relinquish powerfulness to Hochul.

“The constitution is clear. He remains politician until helium is impeached,” Benjamin said. “Once they impeach him, she (Hochul) acts arsenic governor."

If Cuomo were to beryllium acquitted by the Impeachment Court, helium would instrumentality to office. If he's convicted, Hochul would service retired the remainder of Cuomo’s word — done the extremity of 2022. The tribunal could besides opt to disqualify him from holding bureau successful the future.

THE TIMELINE

How rapidly could this each happen? It's not clear.

The Assembly's judiciary committee has scheduled its adjacent gathering for Aug. 9. A instrumentality steadfast representing the committee has fixed Cuomo until Aug. 13 to crook implicit evidence to bolster his defense.

Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie has said helium wants to wrapper up the probe “as rapidly arsenic possible."

But drafting articles of impeachment could instrumentality time.

One contented is that the Assembly, erstwhile it archetypal began contemplating impeachment, asked investigators to look into a scope of issues beyond intersexual harassment. There’s a treatment among lawmakers present astir however to grip different parts of the inquiry, including an introspection of Cuomo’s handling of information connected COVID-19 deaths successful nursing homes, his usage of authorities employees to assistance him with a $5 cardinal publication deal and even imaginable information issues connected a recently built bridge.

“As acold arsenic I’m concerned, determination are a batch of things that are connected table, and what would hap is we’d person to spot what the committee thinks the articles of impeachment should include,” said Judiciary Committee subordinate Phil Steck, a Democrat. “It gets analyzable and I don’t spot however we’re going to bash this successful a mates of hours.”

Lawmakers person yet to hold connected cardinal questions, similar whether determination volition beryllium nationalist hearings.

“Are the witnesses consenting to testify?” Judiciary Committee subordinate Tom Abinanti, besides a Democrat, said. “Do the written documents enactment what we’re going to allege? We’re astir successful the relation of a expansive assemblage and the prosecutor. We’ve got to decide: is the grounds capable and does it successful information represent an impeachable offense? It’s not truthful easy.”

In the meantime, galore elected officials successful New York are hoping that Cuomo volition prevention the legislature the occupation and resign.

So far, Cuomo has insisted helium isn't going anywhere, saying Tuesday helium would absorption connected doing much for New Yorkers, adjacent arsenic different leaders called for his ouster.

“I volition not beryllium distracted from that job. We person a batch to do,” Cuomo said.

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