ALBANY — Democratic Assemblyman Edward Gibbs, who represents parts of east Harlem, violated the house’s policy by making sexually explicit remarks on the Assembly floor, according to findings announced Friday.
The bipartisan Assembly Ethics and Guidance Committee determined that Gibbs’ conduct violated the Assembly’s policy prohibiting harassment, discrimination and retaliation.
Speaker Carl Heastie announced he will implement the committee’s recommended sanctions: a written warning to Gibbs and a requirement that he undergo counseling to address the use of sexually explicit remarks and improve professional communication.
It was not immediately clear what Gibbs said that drew the committee’s rebuke. However, the assemblyman is known for often using direct, sometimes profane language.
On May 25 on the Assembly floor, members called up a resolution mourning the death of former U.S. Rep. Charles B. Rangel, the former congressman from Harlem who was the founding member of the Congressional Black Caucus and the lone surviving member of the “Gang of Four.”
Rangel in 1971 defeated Adam Clayton Powell, the Baptist pastor and politician who had represented Harlem since 1945.
At least 15 seconds of Gibbs’ remarks are redacted in a video recording of the meeting, but are detailed in their entirety in session transcripts.
“My mother was a big fan of Adam Clayton Powell, the Congressmember, and she would tell me often that Adam Powell made her moist, made her moist,” Gibbs said. “And that when Charlie won the seat, had the seat, she said Charlie made her wetter. I don’t know what that means, but that’s the way she felt about Charlie.”
Gibbs’ sanction came about after the committee’s counsel received a tip. The matter was referred to outside independent investigator Christopher Massaroni of the law firm Hodgson Russ LLP. Gibbs cooperated with the investigation.
The committee accepted Massaroni’s investigation during a meeting on Oct. 8. Gibbs appeared before the committee on Dec. 10.
Gibbs was elected to the Assembly in a special election in 2022 and represents the 68th District. He is the first formerly incarcerated person in the New York Legislature: He served 17 months on Rikers Island and four years in prison for manslaughter; he was released in 1991.
Gibbs has focused on criminal justice reform and re-entry for formerly incarcerated people while in the Assembly. In advocating for these issues, he’s been known to use coarse language.
During a May 14 hearing on safety, transparency and accountability within state correctional facilities, Gibbs used five choice four-letter words as he described the violence, racism and lack of accountability that he said continues to define New York’s prison system.
Gibbs did not immediately return a request for comment.