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Aug. 11 (UPI) -- New York Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul said Wednesday she plans to fire anyone deemed "unethical" in the attorney general's report on Gov. Andrew Cuomo when she replaces him in less than two weeks. Hochul, who's set to become the state's first female governor Aug. 24, said she'll build her own senior staff when she comes to power.
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"The governor and I have not been close," she said during her first news conference since Cuomo announced his resignation.
"At the end of my term, whenever it ends, no one will ever describe my administration as a toxic work environment."
New York Attorney General Letitia James' office concluded a months-long investigation of Cuomo earlier this month, finding that he sexually harassed multiple women both inside and out of government. He denied wrong-doing and said the report was flawed, but ultimately chose to resign Tuesday.
"Regarding his decision to step down, I believe it is appropriate and in the best interests of the state of New York," Hochul said Wednesday. "While it was not expected, it is a day for which I am prepared.
Hochul said she'd keep up the fight against COVID-19 started by Cuomo, promising to "fight like hell for you every single day."
"The Delta variant is still raging and it's going to take all of us to defeat it," she said.
"It's going to take all of us working together to keep our children safe, our teachers safe and anyone who works at a school safe."
Hochul has served as lieutenant governor since 2015 and before that represented Western New York's 26th Congressional District in the U.S. House and as Erie County clerk.
