Andrew Cuomo’s senior advisor resigns over report linking New York governor to acts of sexual harassment

Melissa DeRosa, chief adviser to New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, has resigned, she told reporters on Sunday., about a week after a report from the state attorney general found that the governor engaged in sexual misconduct with 11 women.

DeRosa entered the Cuomo administration in 2013, eventually becoming one of his most trusted confidants. He wrote in a statement that serving the people of New York has been “the greatest honor of my life.”

“Personally, the past two years have been tough emotionally and mentally.”DeRosa added. “I am eternally grateful for having had the opportunity to work with such talented and committed colleagues on behalf of our state.”

DeRosa has often defended Cuomo when he was the target of public criticism. In March, he told lawmakers that the Cuomo administration had not provided them with information about COVID-19 deaths in nursing homes last August over concerns that the Trump administration would use the data. against the state government. .

DeRosa is chair of the New York State Council on Women and Girls, which Cuomo launched in 2017 to, in part, “ensure that every policy implemented and every program created takes into account the experiences of women and girls and seek to further advance equality in our state ”.

After the attorney general released his report, Democrat Cuomo retreated into the struggle of his political life despite the threat of possible criminal investigations and widespread calls for impeachment.

Several Democrats, including President Joe Biden and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, have asked him to step down on pain of impeachment which he is unlikely to be able to win.

About two-thirds of the members of the National Assembly have already declared themselves in favor of impeachment if he refused to resign. Almost every member of the state Senate has called for his resignation or removal.

“From what I hear, I have the impression that he is still looking for ways to combat this and to make his side of the story known,” Democratic Party state chairman Jay Jacobs said in an interview with The Associated Press. But he added that “at some point you will find that the political support is far from enough to make it worth a try.”

Lawyers for the governor have promised what will likely be a long struggle to stay in power.

“I am not aware that the governor is considering resigning”, said Saturday to CNN Cuomo’s lawyer, Rita Glavin.

Cuomo – who for months said the public would be “shocked” once he shared his side of the story – has made no public comment since the publication of a 168-page report by two selected independent investigators by the state attorney’s office.

Executive assistant who accused Cuomo of groping her He said on Sunday that what the governor had done to him was a crime. She was the first woman to file a complaint against him.

In the first public interview in which she identified herself, Brittany Commisso said on the show “CBS this morning” and to Albany Times-Union What the governor “must be held accountable”.

Commisso said that Cuomo ran his hand under her blouse and groped it when they were alone at the Executive Mansion last year., and on another occasion touched her butt while posing for a photo.

“He broke the law”he said in an excerpt from an interview that was due to air in its entirety on Monday.

Cuomo’s attorneys focused their defense on attacking the credibility and motives of his accusers. Glavin also criticized the investigation overseen by Attorney General Letitia James for failing to provide its findings and transcripts to Cuomo’s attorneys in advance, and for failing to include more governor-friendly material in the report.

“It was of poor quality. It was biased. Ignore the evidence and it was an ambush, ”Glavin said.

(With AP information)

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