Mr. Heastie assumed his new, more forceful posture against Mr. Cuomo on Tuesday only after an emergency virtual meeting of the Assembly Democrats he leads. No one, according to legislators on the afternoon call, spoke up in support of Mr. Cuomo after the report from Attorney General Letitia James substantiated allegations from multiple women who had accused Mr. Cuomo of inappropriate behavior.
That the governor’s list of accusers had grown to include a state trooper — one who said Mr. Cuomo had left her feeling “completely violated” — made it far more difficult for anyone to defend him, lawmakers said.
Mr. Heastie, an assemblyman since 2000, has witnessed the downfall of a long list of Albany politicians. A former Bronx County Democratic Party chairman, he became the first Black Assembly speaker only after Sheldon Silver, his predecessor, was arrested and charged with taking millions in payoffs.
Mr. Heastie, like so many others who have circled…
