New York Governor Cuomo resigns

By Jonathan Allen

NEW YORK (Reuters) – New York Governor Andrew Cuomo resigned on Tuesday following an inquiry that found he sexually harassed 11 women, mounting legal pressure and demands for his departure by President Joe Biden and others, a startling downfall for a man once seen as a possible U.S. presidential contender.

Cuomo, a Democrat who had served since 2011 as governor of the fourth most-populous U.S. state, made the announcement after New York Attorney General Letitia James on Aug. 3 released the results of a five-month independent investigation that concluded he had engaged in conduct that violated U.S. and state laws.

The investigation, detailed in a 168-page report, found that Cuomo groped, kissed or made suggestive comments to women including current and former government workers – one a state trooper – and retaliated against at least one woman who accused him of sexual misconduct. Cuomo denied wrongdoing.

Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul, a Democrat from western New York, will take over as governor of the state of more than 19 million people until the end of Cuomo’s term in December 2022 as outlined in the state’s constitution, becoming the first woman to hold the post.

Cuomo’s resignation marks the second time in 13 years that a New York governor has stepped down in scandal, after Eliot Spitzer quit in 2008 over his patronage of prostitutes. Cuomo also became the latest powerful man taken down in recent years following the rise of the #MeToo social movement against sexual abuse and harassment that has shaken politics, Hollywood, the business world and the workplace.

His resignation spared Cuomo from possible removal from office through impeachment proceedings in the state legislature. An ongoing impeachment investigation had only promised to intensify.

Cuomo, 63, was elected to three terms as governor, as was his late father, Mario Cuomo. He previously served as U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development secretary from 1997 to 2001 under former President Bill Clinton.

Like his father, Andrew Cuomo never ran for president despite speculation about his possible national ambitions. He gained national prominence last year early in the COVID-19 pandemic after delivering daily news conferences as his state became the U.S. epicenter of the public health crisis.

The civil investigation found that the actions of Cuomo and his senior advisers violated multiple state and federal laws, but James did not pursue criminal charges. Local prosecutors are free to do so, meaning Cuomo still could face legal jeopardy.

Local prosecutors in Manhattan, Nassau County, Albany County and Westchester County said after the report’s release that they are looking into the matter and have requested evidence from the independent inquiry. New York City’s mayor said Cuomo should face criminal charges.

Cuomo had for months denied mounting allegations of sexual harassment – and renewed those denials after the investigative report was issued. But what was left of his political support crumbled after the findings were made public. Hours later, Biden – a friend of the governor for years – told reporters at the White House: “I think he should resign.”

Other prominent Democrats including the state’s two U.S. senators, Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, and U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi also lined up in calling on the party’s one-time star to resign.

Investigators concluded that Cuomo and his aides created a “toxic” and “hostile” workplace in an office gripped by bullying, fear and intimidation. The complaints about sexual harassment emerged after broader criticism by Democratic politicians in New York that Cuomo governed through intimidation.

Cuomo last year appeared to be a politician in ascent, presenting himself as an authoritative figure in televised news conferences on the pandemic. His image was burnished by television interviews with his younger brother, CNN host Chris Cuomo.

Shortly after James, a fellow Democrat, detailed the findings, Cuomo, the divorced father of three adult daughters, issued a video statement in which he said, “I never touched anyone inappropriately or made inappropriate sexual advances.”

“That is just not who I am,” Cuomo said in the video, as he argued that what women described as sexual advances were inoffensive gestures and comments inspired by a natural physical warmth arising from the culture in which he was raised. In the video, he indicated he had no plans to resign, mentioning specifically the fight against the pandemic.

A Marist Poll released a day after the report was issued showed that 59% of New Yorkers wanted Cuomo to resign, compared to 32% who said he should serve out his term and 9% who were unsure. Among Democrats, however, only 52% favored resignation.

(Reporting by Jonathan Allen and Joseph Ax; Writing by Will Dunham; Editing by Daniel Wallis and Howard Goller)

Portland police’s entire crowd control unit resigns after indictment of officer

By Kanishka Singh

(Reuters) – All members of the crowd control team of Portland police have resigned from their positions in the unit after an officer was indicted on an assault charge stemming from alleged illegal use of force during a protest last year.

“On June 16, 2021, Portland Police Bureau employees serving as members of the Rapid Response Team (RRT) left their voluntary positions and no longer comprise a team,” Portland Police said in a statement on Thursday, adding that the employees will continue in their regular assignments.

The unit had about 50 employees, who served as its members, in addition to their daily assignments with the police, according to the statement on Thursday.

Earlier this week, a grand jury indicted a Portland police officer on an assault charge for what prosecutors allege was an “excessive and unlawful use of force” during a protest last summer.

Portland Police Bureau Officer Corey Budworth was indicted on Tuesday with one count of fourth-degree assault, a misdemeanor, stemming from the August 2020 incident, the Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office said.

The indictment marked the first time a Portland police officer faced prosecution stemming from striking or firing at someone during a protest, according to the Oregonian newspaper.

The Portland Police Association described the decision as being “politically driven” and said the officer “has been caught in the crossfire of agenda-driven city leaders and a politicized criminal justice system.”

Last year, Portland saw months of anti-racism protests following the death of George Floyd, an African-American who died after a police officer knelt on his neck for more than eight minutes.

The city became the scene of unrest for months, with civil rights, anarchist and anti-fascist protesters scuffling with police and occasionally with right-wing militias and supporters of then U.S. President Donald Trump.

Portland’s police declared a riot in multiple of those demonstrations and arrested several people during the course of those months.

(Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Bengaluru; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan)

Mali’s president and prime minister resign following military takeover

By Tiemoko Diallo and Paul Lorgerie

BAMAKO (Reuters) -Mali’s interim president and prime minister resigned on Wednesday, two days after they were arrested by the military, an aide to the vice president said, deepening a political crisis and potentially setting up a standoff with international powers.

President Bah Ndaw and Prime Minister Moctar Ouane were taken to a military base outside the capital on Monday after a cabinet reshuffle in which two officers lost their posts.

The intervention led by Vice President Assimi Goita has jeopardized Mali’s transition back to democracy after a coup in August overthrew former president Ibrahim Boubacar Keita. It has provoked international condemnation and raised fears that a political crisis in Bamako could affect regional security.

Goita, a colonel, also orchestrated last year’s coup. He has promised that elections planned for next year will go ahead.

“The president and his prime minister have resigned. Negotiations are ongoing for their liberation and the formation of a new government,” said Baba Cisse, an aide to Goita, in comments sent by the military to Reuters.

The resignations came as a delegation from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) visited Mali to press the military to back down.

During a meeting late on Tuesday with Goita, the delegation, led by former Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan, raised the possibility of sanctions against the officers responsible for the takeover, according to a military official who was present.

It had been due to meet Ndaw and Ouane on Wednesday, but it was not immediately clear if that had happened.

It is not clear if ECOWAS would be satisfied with a replacement president and prime minister, or if it will insist on Ndaw and Ouane being reinstated. ECOWAS and other powers want a civilian-led transition to democracy to continue.

ECOWAS imposed sanctions, including border closures, on Mali after the coup in August before lifting them when Goita’s junta agreed to an 18-month, civilian-led transition.

Other sanctions could follow. Emmanuel Macron, president of former colonial power France, said on Tuesday he was prepared to impose targeted sanctions over what he called “a coup within a coup.” The European Union’s foreign policy chief also threatened sanctions.

Mali’s neighbors and international powers fear the crisis could further destabilize a country that Islamist groups linked to al Qaeda and Islamic State have used as a launch pad for attacks across the region.

Goita defended his actions on Tuesday, saying the president and prime minister had violated the transitional charter by failing to consult him about the new cabinet.

He also accused the government of mishandling social tensions in Mali, including a strike last week by the main union. The union said on Tuesday it would suspend the strike in light of the political crisis.

(Reporting by Tiemoko Diallo and Paul Lorgerie; Writing by Aaron Ross; Editing by Nick Macfie and Giles Elgood)

U.S. consumer watchdog director resigns at request of Biden administration

By Michelle Price

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Kathy Kraninger has resigned effective immediately as director of the U.S. consumer watchdog at the request of President Joe Biden’s administration, she tweeted shortly after Biden was sworn in on Wednesday, paving the way for the new president to quickly install an interim agency head.

Kraninger was appointed by former Republican President Donald Trump to serve a five year term as director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ending in 2023.

Last year, however, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of a challenge, backed by the Trump administration and long-supported by most Republicans, which argued that the CFPB director served at the president’s will.

Biden’s transition team made it clear on Monday that his White House was willing to test that new power if Kraninger did not resign when it announced that he planned to nominate Federal Trade Commission member Rohit Chopra to replace Kraninger.

“I support the Constitutional prerogative of the President to appoint senior officials within the government who support the President’s policy priorities, which ensures our government is responsive to the will of the people,” Kraninger wrote in her resignation letter.

It was unclear whether the White House planned to install Chopra as acting CFPB director pending his Senate confirmation, or whether Kraninger’s deputy or another CFPB staffer would lead the agency in the interim.

The CFPB has been a political lightning rod since it was created following the 2009 financial crisis, beloved by Democrats as a guardian of ordinary Americans but reviled by Republicans as too powerful and unaccountable.

Consumer groups have fiercely criticized Kraninger for defanging the agency by relaxing enforcement and easing rules on payday lending, mortgage lending, and debt collection.

On Wednesday, Kraninger appeared to rebut those criticisms, writing that she had “focused on implementing common-sense solutions to complex problems and delivering real value for the American people.”

(Additional reporting by Pete Schroeder; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)