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Kirsten Gillibrand branded 'hypocrite' for staying mum on Andrew Cuomo row: 'Sang different tune at Kavanaugh'

'I really resent the fact that what the news media calls on every woman elected to do every single time,' she said when asked if Cuomo should resign or not

Senator Kirsten Gillibrand is on the wrong side of Twitter after urging to conclude an investigation before making any decision on whether Governor Andrew Cuomo should stay in office amid sexual harassment allegations. She has reportedly said that talk of Cuomo’s resignation amid accusations of inappropriate conduct from six women "isn't the conversation we should be having".

It is safe to say that her comments aren't flying well with social media users who have sent her trending while slamming her. At the moment, Cuomo, who refused to resign, faces calls to quit from multiple high-profile Democrats including state Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins and city Comptroller Scott Stringer. However, Gillibrand said even asking female elected officials their opinion of the controversy unfairly puts "the spotlight on the women of the state."

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Adding that she doesn't appreciate the fact that women in leadership are asked about whether someone in the midst of a scandal should resign, Gillibrand said, "Asking every female elected in our state when a person should resign or not resign really isn't the conversation we should be having," Gillibrand told Yahoo Finance in an interview posted on Tuesday, March 9.

"And I have to say, it's exceedingly frustrating because so many men who are also in public leadership aren't asked these questions day to day. The women in our state are not meant to be judges, jurors and executioners."

"I really resent the fact that what the news media calls on every woman elected to do every single time," she said during the interview, adding, "Unfortunately, what it does is then turn the spotlight on the women of the state when they should be squarely on the individuals who are being accused of sexual harassment."

A 'hypocrite'

Social media users do not fully appreciate her comments. A New York GOP account slammed her tweeting, "This ranks at the top of the list of truly mind-numbingly ridiculous & hypocrital statements made by Kirsten Gillibrand--and that's saying A LOT. She should be mortified to say this out loud, but we already know she has no shame." One user asked, "Gillibrand was pretty vocal about Franken. Silent about Cuomo. Why?"

The Democratic senator was the first to call for Sen Al Franken's resignation in 2017 amid sexual harassment claims. “I believe it would be better for our country if he sent a clear message that any kind of mistreatment of women in our society isn’t acceptable by stepping aside to let someone else serve,” she had said in 2017 as she began the drive to get Sen Al Franken to resign.

She had demanded that former President Donald Trump step down that same year, citing "numerous" and "credible" accusers. In 2018, she sought to derail Brett Kavanaugh’s Supreme Court nomination because "one credible sexual assault claim should have been too many. . . . Two is an embarrassment." 

And so, many users aren't hesitating before calling her out. "Kristen Gillibrand and the rest of the MeToo movement organizers, and members, are bona fide hypocrites. May you folks reputations be forever tarnished, and memories be in the dust bin of forgetfulness," one said. "Look up the word “hypocrite” in Webster’s , and you’ll see a picture of Gillibrand. Sure sang a different tune re Kavanaugh. Shameful," another added. 

Past experiences

Despite the scrutiny into Gillibrand's position on Cuomo, there might be reasons for her stand. "Another way that sexual harassment perpetuates itself is that women who take a principled stand against it are retaliated against so severely that they’re unlikely to ever do so again," one user tweeted.

The user added, "This is a reason, not an excuse, for Gillibrand’s position - which frankly, I’m very disappointed in. But I also don’t think you can understand her choice here outside of the context of what has happened to Gillibrand since 2017."

Another user said along the same lines, "Perhaps Sen Gillibrand has learned an important lesson from her earlier demands for Al Franken to resign." Another added, "So Gillibrand goes out on a limb and takes charge to oust Franken b4 investigation was over = gets cancelled Says abt Cuomo we should wait till investigation is over and stop making women judges and executioners = cancelled Damned if she does damned if she doesn’t..."

And others called to attention more important issues. "Let’s not focus more on Gillibrand’s opinions about sexual harassment than the harassment itself." Another user tweeted, "after gillibrand called for franken’s resignation, she was harassed, lost donors, reporters shamed her, etc. can you really blame her for saying the investigation should play out before calling for a resignation? the media sucks."