The sex-pest Governor who won't take the hint: Biden, Pelosi, AOC and 63% of New Yorkers ALL think Cuomo should go before his  'guaranteed' impeachment

• Top Democrats including Joe Biden and AOC are calling for Cuomo to step down 
• A poll taken on Tuesday found that 63 percent of New Yorkers agree 
• State Assembly Speaker Carl E. Heastie said Cuomo lost the faith of the lower house's Democratic majority after the body held an emergency meeting
• The embattled governor has so far resisted the growing calls to resign 
• New York has a murky and ill-defined impeachment process in its constitution
• Only one other governor has been impeachment and removed from office 

Embattled New York Governor Andrew Cuomo could face an impeachment trial led by his own party's majority government 'as soon as late September or early October,' according to recent reports - a move which only happened once in New York history.

Top lawmakers including Joe Biden have called for the governor's resignation after state Attorney General Letitia James revealed the findings of a bombshell sexual harassment report that detailed 11 women's claims against him and accusations he bred a 'hostile' workplace.

Some of those allegations were not previously known, like a state trooper and an executive assistant who says he groped her breast at the governor's mansion in Albany in November 2020. 

But after Cuomo denied the allegations in a public message, the New York State Assembly's top Democrat announced he lost the party's support. 

'It is abundantly clear to me that the Governor has lost the confidence of the Assembly Democratic majority and that he can no longer remain in office,' Assembly Speaker Carl E. Heastie wrote in a statement after lawmakers held an emergency meeting. 

'Once we receive all relevant documents and evidence from the Attorney General, we will move expeditiously and look to conclude our impeachment investigation as quickly as possible.'

Who wants Cuomo to resign? 

A poll surveying 500 New Yorkers on Tuesday found that 63 percent believe Cuomo should be booted for the alleged sexual harassment. 

In a scathing op-ed titled 'You Should Resign, Governor Cuomo' the New York Times editorial board joined calls for his departure.

'If Mr. Cuomo cares for the well-being of the state and its citizens as much as he has said he does over the years, he needs to do the right thing and step down,' the body writes.

Nancy Pelosi echoed the sentiment when she called on Cuomo to resign 'recognizing his love of New York and the respect for the office he holds' on Tuesday.

Joining Pelosi and Biden are 13 New York federal lawmakers.

A letter signed by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Chuck Schumer, Hakeem Jeffries, Jerry Nadler, Kirsten Gillibrand and others called on him to step down in the wake of James's reports.

New York City Mayor Bill De Blasio, a longtime political rival of the governor, said Tuesday that Cuomo is 'not fit to hold office and can no longer serve as governor.' 

On Tuesday night the fellow Democrat governors of four states in the north east who worked closely with Cuomo during the pandemic said it was time for him to resign.   

'We are appalled at the findings of the independent investigation by the New York Attorney General. Governor Cuomo should resign from office,' they said.

The statement was signed by Phil Murphy of New Jersey; Ned Lamont of Connecticut; Dan McKee of Rhode Island and Tom Wolf of Pennsylvania.

 Democratic Rep. Ted Lieu and former HUD Secretary Julian Castro also called for his ouster.

New York GOP Reps. Elise Stefanik and Lee Zeldin are looking for Cuomo to depart as well, with the former calling for his arrest. Zeldin is running for New York governor. 

Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel also joined the fray in calling for the governor's resignation. 

As the calls swell the heat is on the New York State Assembly to wrap its impeachment probe of Cuomo, which was started in March and ran parallel to James's investigation. 

How would it work?

New York's legislature is made up of two houses - the Assembly and the Senate. Impeachment proceedings would begin in the former, which is the lower of the two houses.

Democrats hold a 107-43 supermajority in the Assembly and a 43-20 supermajority in the Senate.

While an investigation is not necessary, the state Assembly's Judiciary Committee launched its probe to determine whether Cuomo 'has engaged in conduct which merits impeachment.'

Unlike a presidential impeachment, for which the US Constitution specifies 'high crimes and misdemeanors' as offenses, New York's constitution offers only 'misconduct or malversation.' It loosely outlines a process for impeachment in the Assembly followed by a state Senate trial.

It could take a month for the committee to wrap its investigation and for the Assembly to draft articles of impeachment, a source familiar with the process told the New York Times.

But after an emergency Assembly meeting on Tuesday, most lawmakers reportedly said enough evidence exists to draw the impeachment articles up as soon as possible, four people told the outlet.

Heastie and Judiciary Chair Charles D. Lavine said they could not be drawn up immediately, according to the same report.

The Judiciary Committee, which until now has reportedly been accused of acting as a firewall to bide time for Cuomo, are scheduled to meet on Monday. 

When the articles are complete the vote to impeach requires a simple majority of 76 Assembly members.

If impeached Cuomo would immediately be stripped of his decision-making abilities. Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul would be acting governor.

A trial would then be held in a High Court of Impeachment, consisting of all sitting state senators except for the majority leader and all seven judges on New York's Court of Appeals.

Cuomo would be allowed the help of outside counsel - as a lawyer himself he could also potentially speak for his own defense. 

A two-thirds majority is needed to remove the governor from office. 

Majority Leader and President Pro Tempore Andrea Stewart-Cousins, who called for Cuomo's resignation soon after James announced her findings, would not get a vote.

The state constitution specifies 'neither the lieutenant-governor nor the temporary president of the senate shall act as a member of the court.' 

If Cuomo is removed Stewart-Cousins would become the Lt. governor to Hochul for the remainder of Cuomo's term.

Has it happened before?

Only one other governor has been impeached since New York adopted its constitution in 1777.

In 1913 Governor William Sulzer was impeached, found guilty and removed after just 10 months in office.

Sulzer was first elected to public office in 1890 with the help of powerful Democratic political machine Tammany Hall. 

As his power grew he began pulling away from the group and embracing more progressive policies. Immediately after he was elected Tammany Hall boss Charles F. Murphy forced his impeachment.

A committee made up of Murphy's allies opened an investigation into Sulzer and found he failed to report all the money raised during his campaign, which he was accused of putting into the stock market.

Sulzer's case leaves little precedent for today's possible proceedings. His offenses took place before he took office, while accusations against Cuomo run throughout his term.

Sulzer also declined to testify in his own impeachment proceedings. His allies insisted the charges were false, and Sulzer's refusal to recognize his lieutenant governor's promotion led to a weeks-long standoff ahead of the impeachment trial.