Hochul Calls On LIC Lawmaker Accused Of Sexual Assault To Resign

LONG ISLAND CITY, QUEENS — Gov. Kathy Hochul called for the resignation of New York Assembly Member Juan Ardila on Thursday after he was accused of committing sexual assault in 2015.

The governor joins Queens lawmakers who are demanding Ardila resign after two women told a news outlet that the Long Island City assemblyman assaulted them at a college party.

“It is intolerable and unacceptable what he did,” Hochul said at a press conference unrelated to the allegations. “I support the survivors in their call for accountability.”

The Queens Chronicle reported accusations that Ardila, 29, exposed himself and kissed two women while they were intoxicated at a party in 2015. One of the women said Ardila was dragging her “basically unconscious” from the couch to the bathroom before a friend intervened.

Lawmakers including City Council Member Julie Won, Assembly Member Zohran Mamdani, and state Senators Kristen Gonzalez, Julia Salazar, and Mike Gianaris have asked Ardila to resign.

“I make no excuse for my past behavior and have spent a great deal of time carefully reflecting on this,” Ardila said in a statement Tuesday.