The Time Has Come

All of us — constituents, colleagues from both parties in Albany, newspaper editorial boards — waited. We heard the allegations, from so many women, against Andrew Cuomo, of inappropriate conduct. The sheer number, the consistent stories, the lack of motivation for the women to come forward with falsified claims all seemed convincing. But we agreed to wait till an investigation sorted the claims.

That’s done, and Attorney General Letitia James laid out a devastating set of allegations this week, the result of a patient and extensive investigation. The governor’s response was to refuse to accept responsibility and to continue to deny that he acted inappropriately.

Time is up. Mr. Cuomo’s impeachment is assured. Elected officials from both parties are aligned in principle: This is not acceptable behavior from the state’s top official. The courageous women who came forward, facing humiliation by challenging the most powerful man in New York State, deserve one outcome, and the State of New York doesn’t need the distraction of an impeachment process.

The time has come for Andrew Cuomo to resign.