Hochul will inherit immense challenges as she takes over an administration facing criticism for inaction in Cuomo’s distracted final months in office.

He gave two televised briefings - warning New Yorkers to take the storm seriously with the same mix of scolding and reassurance that once made his daily COVID-19 briefings popular.Ĭuomo’s top aide, Melissa DeRosa, released a statement saying he was exploring his options for his post-gubernatorial life but had “no interest in running for office again.” The storm drew Cuomo back out into public view over the weekend, albeit briefly. The switch in leadership was happening in the aftermath of Tropical Storm Henri, which narrowly missed Long Island on Sunday but dumped rain over parts of the Catskill Mountains and Hudson River Valley. Some critics jumped on Cuomo’s last remarks as self-serving.Īssemblymember Yuh-Line Niou, a fellow Democrat, tweeted that the governor had many opportunities to improve as a leader and “Chose himself every time. “There was a political and media stampede.”īut he said prolonging his fight in office “could only cause governmental paralysis and that is just not an option for you and not an option for the state, especially now.” He said the report that triggered his resignation - a scathing account of what Attorney General Letitia James said was sexual harassment or inappropriate touching of 11 women - as “designed to be a political firecracker on an explosive topic, and it did work,” Cuomo said. In a pre-recorded farewell address released at noon, Cuomo boasted of making government effective in his years in office, cited his work battling the COVID-19 pandemic and struck a defiant tone on the harassment allegations. Hochul was scheduled be sworn in just after midnight by the state’s chief judge, Janet DiFiore, in a brief, private ceremony. Watch Cuomo’s remarks in the player above.Ĭuomo, a Democrat, was set to end his term at 11:59 p.m., just under two weeks after he announced he would resign rather than face a likely impeachment battle over sexual harassment allegations. Kathy Hochul the state’s first female governor. (AP) - Andrew Cuomo defended his record over a decade as New York’s governor and portrayed himself as the victim of a “media frenzy” Monday as he prepared for a midnight power transfer that will make Lt.

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