Democratic governor backtracks after blundering and blaming Trump impeachment push on 'leftists'
27 September 2019
New York Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo was forced into an embarrassing walk back on Friday after he made a surprising defense of President Donald Trump.
At an event Thursday night with former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, a prominent Trump ally and defender, Cuomo blamed the reinvigorated push for impeachment — now supported by a majority of House lawmakers — on radicals who pressured Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
“There is a heightened leftist component of the Democratic Party that she was feeling pressure from,” Cuomo said, as the New York Daily News reported.
“It’s a long and unproductive road,” the New York governor continued, addressing the impeachment push. “Where does it go ultimately? Nowhere.”
But Politico reported Friday afternoon that Cuomo's team believes his position was "misrepresented."
Cuomo thinks Pelosi “must proceed with an impeachment investigation as a matter of constitutional duty,” a spokesperson said.
In the statement, the spokesperson tried to square the governor's position with his previous comments by saying that earlier calls for impeachment were from the "far left flank," but the Ukraine scandal has made the impeachment inquiry necessary.