UPDATE: New York Gov. Cuomo rejects calls for his resignation; ‘I did not do what has been alleged, period’

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo rejected calls for his resignation on Friday following allegations of sexual harassment of young women who worked for him and said he was confident reviews of the matter currently underway would clear him of misconduct. “I did not do what has been alleged, period,” Cuomo said at a news briefing. “You need to know the facts before you form an opinion.” The governor said nobody wants the two reviews to happen “more quickly and more thoroughly than I do.” He said he will not make further comments to the press until the reviews have been completed. Cuomo’s comments came after the Democratic Party appeared to turn on him with congressional lawmakers and state officials calling on him to step aside. “The victims of sexual assault concern me more than politics or other narrow considerations, and I believe Governor Cuomo must step aside,” said Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney, a New York Democrat. Cuomo pointed out that the state budget is due in two weeks and it remains mired in a fiscal crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic. “Then we have to perform 15 million vaccinations and we have to be ready on May 11 for eligibility for the entire state. Then we need to rebuild the state from the bottom up because we have serious issues, especially in New York City,” he said. “That’s my job. That’s why I was elected and that’s exactly what I’m going to focus on.”