NYC mayor calls on Cuomo to quit over harassment claims

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has urged Governor Andrew Cuomo to resign over allegations of sexual misconduct.

Mr Cuomo, who is already being investigated after five women accused him of sexual harassment, is now facing allegations of assault from a sixth.

Mr De Blasio called the women's accounts "absolutely unacceptable".

The governor has denied all of the allegations against him, and said of the most recent claim: "I have never done anything like this."

Mayor De Blasio, a long-time political rival of Democrat Governor Cuomo, told reporters on Thursday: "The specific allegation that the governor called an employee of his, someone who he had power over, called them to a private place and then sexually assaulted her, it's absolutely unacceptable.

"It is disgusting to me, and he can no longer serve as governor."

Mr Cuomo, whose term in office comes to an end in 2022, was last year praised for his handling of the Covid epidemic in his state. However, this year he has been accused of obscuring the scale of coronavirus deaths in the state's nursing homes.

Since the allegations of harassment were made a string of people have called for his resignation.

On Thursday, New York State Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie said he had given the go-ahead for an "impeachment investigation" into the allegations made against Mr Cuomo. The investigation, which will interview witnesses and look at evidence, would be the first step towards impeachment.

More than 55 Democratic legislators in New York have signed a letter calling on him to step down.