More than 25 clergy leaders in the Latino and African-American communities around New York joined together in calling for Attorney General Letitia James to be “empowered” in her investigation into the numerous sexual harassment allegations against Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

The clergy in a statement, cited a memo written by more than a dozen women in the state Assembly that called on New Yorkers to give the attorney general the “appropriate time” to conduct the investigation.

“As clergy in the African American and Latino communities, we stand with those Assemblywomen who believe that Attorney General Leticia James, the first African American and woman ever elected to be the people’s lawyer, be empowered to conduct a thorough probe of the governor,” the clergy wrote.

“We agree with their position that the Attorney General should not be undermined as the chief law enforcement officer in the State of New York by preventing the investigation or, as we would put it, rendering such an investigation moot.”

The attorney general’s office has assured that this investigation would continue whether Cuomo was in office or not. 

More than six women have now accused Governor Andrew Cuomo of inappropriate behavior. When the Albany Times Union broke the story of the latest allegation, the longest serving member of the state Legislature, Manhattan Democratic Assemblyman Richard Gottfried, broke his relative silence on the issue and called on Cuomo to resign. 

Gottfried launched his political career in 1971, when Nelson Rockefeller was governor, and is now the chair of the Assembly Health Committee. 

“Multiple and growing credible allegations of sexual harassment and recent reports detailing the cover-up of the true COVID-19 death toll in nursing homes are extremely disturbing and make it clear that Governor Cuomo is no longer the right governor for New York,” Gottfried said. “It is clear that it is best for New York for Governor Cuomo to resign.”

Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins has already called on Cuomo to resign on Sunday, saying that the constant scandals surrounding Cuomo has been a “distraction.”

Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie stopped short of calling for Cuomo to step down that same day in a separate statement, but questioned whether the governor could remain in office.