Assembly Member Catherine Nolan picture here in 2017 (Assembly Member Catherine Nolan)
Aug. 6, 2021 By Allie Griffin
Assembly Member Catherine Nolan announced Thursday that she supports impeaching Governor Andrew Cuomo — in response to a rally calling on her to do so earlier in the day.
Local activists and Democratic district leaders rallied outside Nolan’s Long Island City office Thursday morning demanding that she vote to impeach Cuomo.
The rally came two days after a report released by New York Attorney General Letitia James concluded that the governor sexually harassed nearly a dozen women in violation of state and federal laws.
Nolan had not made clear her position on the AG’s report until she was reached by the Queens Post Thursday afternoon.
“Assembly Member Cathy Nolan … must show herself to be on the right side of history, and publicly state her intention to vote in favor of impeachment,” Democratic District Leaders Émilia Decaudin and Jesse Laymon said in a joint statement prior to Nolan’s announcement. “Anything less is a betrayal of workers everywhere who suffer sexual harassment and assault — most often silently and without recourse — at the hands of their supervisors.”
Nolan, who represents the 37th Assembly District, was one of a handful of Queens assembly members who had not made a public statement asking Cuomo to resign or face impeachment.
She has been relatively quiet lately amid an ongoing battle with cancer. Nolan announced back in February that she underwent cancer surgery and sources say she has been in and out of hospital since.
Decaudin, however, said that Nolan’s office has addressed many topics via social media in recent times. Therefore, she said, she was disappointed that Nolan had remained silent about the findings in the report.
In March, when the sexual harassment allegations became more widely known, 55 state legislators signed onto a March 11 letter calling for Cuomo’s resignation. Nolan did not sign the letter.
“We’re disappointed that Cathy Nolan has not only not said anything now, but had not said anything back in March when this first came out,” Decaudin said prior to the assemblywoman’s announcement.
When Decaudin called the assembly member’s office Tuesday to urge Nolan to vote to impeach Cuomo, she said staffers didn’t provide insight into where Nolan stood. Instead, she added, they told her that they would relay her message in support of impeachment to the assembly member.
Nolan said she does support impeaching the governor in a statement to the Queens Post Thursday afternoon.
“Yes I support impeachment,” she said. “Impeachment is a historic responsibility, I welcome hearing my constituents’ views and have been reaching out to community leaders for quite some time.”
Grateful to everyone who joined us for our rally outside of AM Cathy Nolan’s office to demand her support of impeaching Governor Cuomo. We’re looking forward to hearing from her and her office soon. pic.twitter.com/lfpo6M6l8B
— Émilia Decaudin ⚜️ (@EmiliaDecaudin) August 5, 2021
Decaudin said she believes mounting pressure from the rally as well as calls to her office and users on social media led Nolan to make a statement.
“I am glad that Cathy Nolan has finally taken the time to share her stance on the situation with her constituents,” she told the Queens Post. “I’m grateful that our collective effort as a community pushed her in the right direction and I’m looking forward to seeing her vote in favor of impeaching Governor Cuomo for his abhorrent actions.”
Nolan is the now tenth assembly member from Queens to say she supports impeachment.
The State Assembly has already launched it own investigation into the governor. The Assembly’s judiciary committee has hired outside lawyers to investigate the sexual harassment allegations as well as other scandals involving Cuomo.
Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie said the attorney general’s report has been forwarded to the members of the judiciary committee as well as all members of the Assembly.
Heastie said Tuesday that Cuomo has lost the confidence of Assembly Democrats.
The Assembly is working to expedite its impeachment investigation and proceedings. A simple majority is needed to impeach the governor.
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18 Comments
Get vaccinated? You can pass it on to people, you can still come down with covid, and there are side effects.
Cuomo and Giuliani are an embarrassment to the italian community. Good thing they still have Bill de blasio. At least he is not racists or a sexual predator.
Cuomo always had a smirk on his face throughout the pandemic at every press conference. As Biden said Cuomo should resign.
We need a queer or POC to run for Governor.
I guessed he cant blame his italian heritage on the nursing home deaths. Italians highly respect and protect grandmas and grandpas. Just like when Dorothy took her mom sofia out of a nursing home after a fire to live with her on the golden girls.
I read that Cuomo might get arrested. I had to apologize to my children and grandchildren for supporting him before the investigation.
Cuomo dynasty over and he should go to jail for abusing all these woman and sending thousands of old infirm folks to their death during the pandemic, when there were thousands of beds available at Jacob Javits, Arthur Ash tennis center, and USS Comfort, then he and his Fredo brother Chris Cuomo yucking it on CNN during the height of the pandemic, his earlier break up with girlfriend Sarah Lee ask her what a dirt bag he is, married bi-polar, pill popping Kerry Kennedy with the hopes it would improve his chances of one day one it might win him the presidency and even she dumped him. That has to tell you something. Then he wrote a book got a $5 million advance on his handling of the pandemic hope he has to return the money. He’s a megalomaniac and an A-hole. Remember he coined the slogan against Mayor Koch when his father ran for NYC Mayor —vote for Cuomo not the H***. Just look at him and the way he talks he’s a Dick! And remember his sister Maria Cuomo is married to Kenneth Cole, who just came out to defend him, boycott Kenneth Cole fashions and impeach this piece of garbage.
How about impeaching JVB with everything that he has done for sure —
He’s a dem
They get away with murder
I finally agree with Cathy. Hopefully she will not do much more before she retires.
The March letter was premature and demanded that Governor Cuomo resign based on allegations that had not been fully investigated, and I am glad that Assembly Member Nolan did not sign onto it. In this country, we do not remove a duly-elected Governor by mob protests, online petitions, tweets from accusers or signed letters circulated by other politicians.
It was appropriate for Nolan to wait for her review of the AGs comprehensive report before making a public comment on impeachment. I would have thought she would have wanted to wait to hear from the Assembly’s Judiciary Committee, which is moving quickly to complete their investigation and is looking into broader issues than just harassment. Governor Cuomo has a week to add any additional facts to support his case before they move forward with their recommendations. It remains to be seen whether we will ever get to an Assembly vote on impeachment, but it is a serious issue that deserves careful consideration and patience.
Whether the Governor chooses to resign or not, it is HIS decision to do so, and when to do so.
So Cuomo decided to resign on Tuesday, and on Friday the 13th the Assembly dropped the ongoing impeachment inquiry (effective Aug. 25) since they don’t have the constitutional authority to impeach the governor after he will be out of office (effective Aug. 24).
Yet he gets away with what he did to the elderly in nursing homes who died of Covid- while he wrote a book about his GREAT LEADERSHIP! Hypocrites much?
Hypocrites are the large number of nursing home staff who are supposed to be caring for patients yet remain unvaccinated. This virus spread asymptomatically from the early days of 2020, but we didn’t know that then. Covid walked into nursing homes via staff back then, and continues to do so today. No excuses now — Get vaccinated!
SHARKS ARE CIRCULING CUOMO’S POLITICAL CARCASS
As Governor Andrew Cuomo enters the twilight of his political career, he has three options. Resign and hope in coming years he can rehabilitate his image and career. Two, continue to fight the inevitable future impeachment by the State Legislature. Three, if still clinging to office, run in the June 2022 Democratic Primary for a fourth term. Most of his former friends, be they other public office holders, party leaders, major campaign contributors or union supporters have abandoned ship. A campaign war chest of $16 million will not buy him another term. Cuomo fatigue has taken root. While he decides what to do, he will have less time to deal with other ongoing issues facing New Yorkers.
Should Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul become Governor, she will be preoccupied with winning the June 2022 Democratic Party primary to run for a full four year term. Being attached at the political hip to Cuomo, may adversely impact her ability to win any cooperation from the State Legislature. The political sharks have already begun circling the political carcass of Cuomo. Many are now considering their own run for Governor.
Larry Penner
I’ll run. I’ll bring chaaaaange to New York.
Cathy will say and do anything to stay in office.
Cathy is set to retire according to what I have heard.