Biden says Cuomo should resign and could face prosecution if sexual harassment claims true

President Joe Biden said New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo should resign if the sexual harassment claims recently made by several women are confirmed by an investigation led by the state's attorney general.

Biden was asked about the allegations against Cuomo, a fellow Democrat, by ABC News' George Stephanopoulos in part of an interview released Tuesday.

"Yes," Biden said when asked whether Cuomo should resign if the investigation confirms allegations of several women. "I think he'll probably end up being prosecuted, too."

The full interview aired Wednesday.

Several women have accused Cuomo of inappropriate behavior, prompting calls for him to resign. Cuomo has denied touching anyone inappropriately, but he has acknowledged that he acted in ways that made people feel uncomfortable. He said that was unintentional, and he apologized.

The comments are Biden's strongest to date after he said this week that there should be a wait-and-see approach to what the investigation reveals. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., declined to call for Cuomo's resignation even as dozens of other top Democrats, including Sens. Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand — both of New York — have called for his ouster.

Speaking Sunday on ABC's "This Week," Pelosi called the allegations "credible and serious," adding that she has confidence in the investigation led by New York Attorney General Letitia James.

A defiant Cuomo told reporters last week in a phone briefing before the Schumer and Gillibrand statement that he would not bow to "cancel culture" and is not going anywhere.

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"I am not going to resign," he said, adding that lawmakers would not know the facts until James' investigation is concluded.

A group of nearly 60 state lawmakers demanded Cuomo's resignation, and Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie authorized the Judiciary Committee to begin an impeachment investigation.

Biden said in his interview that "a woman should be presumed telling the truth and should not be scapegoated and become victimized by her coming forward."

He added: "Takes a lot of courage to come forward. So the presumption is they should be taken seriously. But there should be an investigation to determine whether what she says is true. And that's what's underway now."

James has appointed two lawyers, one of them a former acting U.S. attorney, to lead the investigation.