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NY State Assembly GOP members introduce impeachment resolution against Cuomo

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On Monday afternoon, Republicans in the New York State Assembly announced a resolution against Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) that would commence impeachment proceedings, as the governor is dogged by two ongoing scandals.

New York State Assembly Minority Leader Will Barclay (R), joined by other GOP lawmakers, announced the plan to introduce an impeachment resolution.

“We’re going to introduce this resolution because we believe the time has come,” Barclay said. “In order to lead this great state as governor, you need to have credibility and trust […] and unfortunately, we feel the governor has lost that and now has an inability to lead.”

Barclay added that “there is been one bombshell after another.”

“I don’t think I’ve used the term ‘bombshell’ especially this week, any time more in my life, it has been one bombshell after another,” Barclay said, listing the scandals engulfing the governor and his administration.

Cuomo’s administration is the subject of a federal investigation into allegations that it covered up COVID-19 nursing home death data and the governor himself has been the center of mounting sexual harassment accusations.

“We had the AG report come out saying that the governor was underreporting nursing home deaths by as much as 50%,” Barclay said. “We had that secret political meeting where he had his top aides say they weren’t reporting the nursing home deaths because they were worried about a Department of Justice investigation—they were worried about the political fallout.”

RELATED: NY AG releases report showing COVID-19 nursing home deaths ‘may have been undercounted by as much as 50%’

RELATED: Report: Cuomo advisers altered report on COVID-19 nursing home deaths

He continued, adding that there was “the bullying and the harassing of sitting members of the state legislature,” referencing Queens Assemblyman Ron Kim’s (D) story that Cuomo allegedly threatened him over the phone, which Cuomo’s office has denied.

“Then we had five courageous women come forward to talk about their abuse, sexual harassment, and other abuse at the hands of the governor,” Barclay said.

RELATED: De Blasio ‘sickened’ by Cuomo sexual harassment claims

Cuomo and his team have also denied the sexual harassment allegations made against him.

RELATED: Cuomo says he’ll ‘fully cooperate’ with NY AG’s review of sexual harassment claims

So far, about 30 Assembly Democrats have called on Cuomo to resign.

Notably, State Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins (D) on Sunday called for his resignation, making her the highest-ranking state Democrat to do so.

“Everyday there is another account that is drawing away from the business of government,” Stewart-Cousins wrote in a statement. “We have allegations about sexual harassment, a toxic work environment, the loss of credibility surrounding the Covid-19 nursing home data and questions about the construction of a major infrastructure project.”

“New York is still in the midst of this pandemic and is still facing the societal, health and economic impacts of it,” the statement read. “We need to govern without daily distraction. For the good of the state Governor Cuomo must resign.”

The Associated Press reported on Sunday that Cuomo had a short phone call with Stewart-Cousins and told her that he would not resign and that if they want him out of office, they would need to impeach him, citing an unnamed person who was briefed by someone on the call.

At a Sunday press conference, Cuomo reiterated that he would not resign, saying, “There is no way I resign.”

“As you heard the governor say yesterday, I’m not going to resign, if you want to get rid of me, start impeachment,” Barclay said, referencing the governor’s remarks. “But we think now is the time to act. We think it’s time to commence impeachment.”

Acknowledging that Republicans “won’t be able to force a vote,” he said they would “keep pounding on this issue.”

According to Syracuse.com, a majority of the lower chamber’s 150 members would have to vote in favor of impeaching the governor for the process to continue.

You can follow Douglas Braff on Twitter @Douglas_P_Braff.

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BREAKING: Disney drops suit challenging special district status in settlement with Florida, DeSantis

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A settlement was reached Wednesday in the two-year lawsuit over who controls the special governing district that encompasses the Walt Disney World Resort, which includes Disney dropping its lawsuitsagainst a newly created tourism board.

“We are glad that Disney has dropped its lawsuits against the new Central Florida Tourism Oversight District and conceded that their last-minute development agreements are null, void, and unenforceable,” Bryan Griffin, DeSantis’ communications director, said in a statement. “No corporation should be its own government. Moving forward, we stand ready to work with Disney and the District to help promote economic growth, family-friendly tourism, and accountable government in Central Florida.”

Fox News explains the dispute began “after Disney’s criticism of Florida’s Parental Rights in Education Act – derided by critics as the so-called “Don’t Say Gay” bill – prompted the DeSantis administration to revoke the special Disney-controlled tax district that gave the entertainment autonomy over its theme parks in the region.”

“No corporation should be its own government,” Bryan Griffin, a spokesman for the governor, said in an emailed statement. “Moving forward, we stand ready to work with Disney and the District to help promote economic growth, family-friendly tourism, and accountable government in Central Florida.”

Misleadingly deemed the “Don’t Say Gay” bill, prohibited the teaching of sexual orientation and gender identity to young students in the state. National Review reports:

After receiving pressure from employees, Disney’s then-CEO, Bob Chapek, said that the company’s leaders had been opposed to the bill “from the outset,” and Disney declared that the legislation “should never have passed and should never have been signed into law.”

In February 2023, DeSantis signed House Bill 9B, which established the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District to replace Disney’s Reedy Creek Improvement District. Reedy Creek was a 56-year-old special taxing district that allowed Disney control its own development, regulations, building codes, and other municipal services.

Lawmakers voted to give the governor the power to appoint the district’s board members.

However, before a DeSantis-appointed board took over last March, the Disney-controlled board handed control of the district’s development over to Disney…

As part of the settlement, Disney acknowledges that the development agreement approved by the outgoing Reedy Creek board has “no legal effect or enforceability.”

As for the media reports that DeSantis had been humiliated and out-maneuvered by Disney, Griffin said that “as usual, the media were wrong.”

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