New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo spent his second-to-last day in office projecting an image that he is still in control, and fully engaged as the state dealt with heavy rain from Tropical Storm Henri.
The Democrat, who is set to resign at 11:59pm on Monday, appeared at a televised briefing Sunday surrounded by top state officials involved in the state´s storm response.
Asked if he still planned to leave office as planned, Cuomo said 'Yes, my final day is tomorrow.'
He said he asked his emergency management team that if any were thinking of leaving their jobs Tuesday, and not joining the new administration, that they stay in place 'for the good of the state' until the storm crisis had passed.
New York Governor Andre Cuomo appeared at a televised briefing on his second-to-last day in office
Cuomo advised New Yorkers to remain 'attentive, cautions, and smart' as she explained Henri's effects on the state
Absent from the briefing was Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul, who is set to become New York's first female governor in the first seconds of Tuesday afternoon.
'The lieutenant governor has been briefed on all of this and we´re in constant communication,' Cuomo said.
Hochul´s spokespeople didn´t immediately respond to a question about her whereabouts. She did weigh in on the storm on Twitter, saying, 'My team and I are continuing to closely monitor #Henri.'
She is scheduled to be sworn in at 12.01am Tuesday.
Cuomo announced two weeks ago that he will resign from office rather than endure a likely impeachment battle in the state legislature over sexual harassment allegations.
However, he has been adamant that the accusations against him - made by 11 different women - are unfounded.
The soon-to-be former governor insisted he did not touch anyone inappropriately and that some of the allegations against him are either false, exaggerated or unintentional, but he said he´d concluded that continuing to fight to stay in office would hurt the state.
On Friday, Cuomo's lawyer, Rita Glavin, said at a briefing that Attorney General Letitia James' five month investigation on sexual harassments accusations against Cuomo was full of errors and ignored exculpatory evidence.
In what was likely his final briefing, Cuomo showed a calmed and confident demeanor as he explained the specifics of how Henri will affect New York during the week.
The Governor asked New Yorkers to remain 'attentive, cautions, and smart.'
'We have crews out this morning on the beaches that are shoring up the dunes. We have bulldozers moving.
'We are just trying to build up those dunes along the south shore to stop flooding in places like Long Beach,' Cuomo said. \
New York Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul addresses the media after a meeting with Long Island labor leaders in Hauppauge, NY. Hochul will become New York's first female Governor on Tuesday Morning
Cuomo portrayed himself in a very calmed and collected way, as he also announced that President Biden had approved New York's Pre-Landfall Federal Disaster Declaration
Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul tours the Louis Armstrong New York City Public School 143 in the Queens borough of New York City. Hochul will be sworn in at 12.01am on Tuesday.
Cuomo also praised President Biden's approval of New York's Pre-Landfall Federal Disaster Declaration, and gave the President a nod, amid the criticism his administration is facing after the hasty retreat from Afghanistan.
The issued declaration allowed for the state's expenses during the storm, including deployment of responders like National Guard, State Police and Department of Transportation, to be eligible for federal reimbursement.
'Thank you very much President Biden, who is a good man and a good soul.
'And he is just fundamentally a person who always does the right thing on a human level and a personal level,
'To me that counts first, before the politician and the elected official.'
On August 10, Cuomo announced he was resigning, citing that while he was innocent, he thought it would be better for New York State to have the attention off his controversy.
'Given the circumstances, the best way I can help now is if I step aside and let government get back to government.'
'And therefore that is what I'll do, because I work for you, and doing the right thing, is doing the right thing for you,' Cuomo said in a livestream from his Manhattan Office, in which he resigned.
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