Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul believes she could be called on to replace Gov. Andrew Cuomo within weeks — and is getting ready to do so, according to a report Sunday.
Hochul spoke by phone with advisers last week for guidance on her potential first steps as the state’s first female governor, two people who received calls from her told the Wall Street Journal.
Hochul, 62, also asked who she should hire for key jobs and which Cuomo appointees she should keep, the Journal said.
An official in Hochul’s office confirmed that she was receiving outside advice but said it wasn’t based on knowledge of Cuomo’s plans, the Journal said.
In addition to seeking guidance, Hochul has been fielding calls from special-interest groups and government leaders looking to cozy up to her, the New York Times said.
A source close to Hochul told The Post, “Lots of people have been calling Kathy. She’s been listening to their advice.””Kathy has been an elected official for a long time. She has a lot of relations across the state,” the source added.”It’s her job as lieutenant governor to be prepared to be governor.”
Cuomo has ignored widespread calls to resign from everyone ranging from President Biden to random registered voters since state Attorney General Letitia James on Tuesday released a blistering report that accused him of sexually harassing 11 women, including nine current or former state employees.
But on Thursday, lawyers for the state Assembly’s Judiciary Committee also told Cuomo, 63, that its impeachment investigation was “nearing completion” and gave him a Friday deadline to provide any information he wants the committee to consider before deciding whether to move against him.
If the Assembly were to impeach Cuomo, Hochul would automatically take over as governor pending the outcome of a trial in the state Senate.
Hochul, a former US representative and Erie County clerk who was Cuomo’s running mate in 2014 and 2018, has declined to publicly call on the three-term Democrat to resign since his sexual harassment scandal exploded in late February.
But on Tuesday, she said the outside investigation that James commissioned “has documented repulsive and unlawful behavior by the Governor towards multiple women.”
“No one is above the law,” she said.
“Under the New York Constitution, the Assembly will now determine the next steps.”
Hochul hasn’t communicated directly with Cuomo since James issued her report and his staff wasn’t aware of her statement before she issued it, sources told the Journal.
Cuomo has been in hiding since the report came out but released a pre-recorded video statement denying any wrongdoing and suggested he was the target of a political hit job.
His lawyers on Friday also attacked some of his accusers and said the investigation of him was rigged.
Cuomo’s spokesman, Rich Azzopardi, declined to comment on Hochul’s moves, the Journal said.
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