Cuomo's top lawyer leaves administration amid calls for governor’s resignation, impeachment over scandals

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Fox News correspondent Bryan Llenas has the latest from Brooklyn on 'Special Report'

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo's top attorney is leaving his administration in the middle of scandals that have resulted in calls for Cuomo's impeachment and resignation.

Counsel to the Governor Kumiki Gibson, who has served in that role since 2019, will be taking a nonprofit job after she leaves the government on Friday.

It comes as 76 New York lawmakers from both parties are calling for resignation and/or impeachment, according to a Fox News analysis. Of those, 43 New York lawmakers are specifically calling for impeachment.

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"I informed the Executive Chamber a month ago that I planned to leave State service and have accepted a position at a nationally prominent not-for-profit organization," Gibson said in a statement. "It has been an honor and privilege to work for the Governor and the people of the State of New York. I remain deeply impressed with the talent and dedication of my legal team and will forever be grateful for having the opportunity to serve New Yorkers."

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Gibson is the latest member of Cuomo's administration to leave, following announcements that press secretary Caitlin Girouard, interim policy adviser Erin Hammond, and COVID-19 Response Task Force aide Gareth Rhodes are leaving.

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None of the departing officials saiid they were leaving due to the current pressures facing the governor. Rhodes said "it was time, given the progress of the vaccination program and continued decline of Covid numbers" and Girouard said she had been planning to leave for more than a month.

Gibson will be replaced for the time being by new acting Counsel Beth Garvey. Garvey has held positions in the administration since 2019, including special counsel and senior adviser to the governor.

Cuomo praised both Gibson and Garvey in a statement issued Monday.

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"Beth Garvey is a true public servant and a brilliant legal mind who has been an integral member of this administration since she joined it," Cuomo said. "As we start to turn the corner on this pandemic, much work remains to reopen this state as safely and swiftly as we can and I thank Beth for her past and future work on behalf of all New Yorkers. Beth is one of the hardest working, most effective public servants in State government, and New Yorkers are fortunate to have her serve in this role. I also commend Kumiki Gibson for her hard work, dedication and service to the people of this great state and wish her only the best as she begins this new chapter.

Cuomo, meanwhile, refuses to resign, despite grown pressure to do so. Nearly 50 state lawmakers have pushed for either his resignation or impeachment, with State Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins saying Sunday that the governor "must resign."

Fox News' Remy Numa and The Associated Press contributed to this report.