Melissa DeRosa, the secretary and a top aide to New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, resigned less than a week after the release of a report detailing sexual harassment allegations against her boss.
DeRosa, who resigned on Sunday according to a statement obtained by NY1, called her time working for the Empire State “the greatest honor” of her life. She made no mention of New York Attorney General Letitia James’s investigation.
“It has been the greatest honor of my life to serve the people of New York for the past 10 years. New Yorkers’ resilience, strength, and optimism through the most difficult times has inspired me every day. Personally, the past 2 years have been emotionally and mentally trying. I am forever grateful for the opportunity to have worked with such talented and committed colleagues on behalf of our state,” she said.
CUOMO IMPEACHMENT INVESTIGATION HEAD WARNS OF ‘SEVERE REPRECUSSIONS’ AFTER SENIOR AIDE’S TWEET
James and her staff investigated several sexual harassment claims against the governor. Their report, released on Tuesday, found that Cuomo sexually harassed and intimidated 11 women “and, in doing so, broke the law.” Nine of the women are current and former state employees, and one is a New York state trooper.
Brittany Commisso, a former aide for Cuomo who filed a criminal complaint against the Democrat for multiple instances of inappropriate touching, revealed her identity earlier in the day on Sunday and insisted her former boss “broke the law.” She was referred to only as “Executive Assistant #1” in James’s report, and Commisso said that Cuomo reached under her blouse and groped her breast while at the Executive Mansion.
The governor has denied all claims of inappropriate behavior in the report. “That is just not who I am, and that’s just not who I’ve ever been,” he said.
Despite pressure from top fellow Democrats, including President Joe Biden, calling for him to resign, Cuomo so far refuses to step down.
Although James declined to pursue criminal charges, at least four district attorneys have requested materials from the state investigation.
Albany County District Attorney David Soares said he will be initiating a criminal inquiry into Cuomo’s alleged conduct and welcomed “any victim to contact” his “office with additional information.” Westchester District Attorney Miriam Rocah has also launched a similar inquiry and is seeking information regarding unwanted advances and touching of the state trooper.
DeRosa, who was appointed to her latest position in Cuomo’s office in 2017, made headlines earlier this year after she acknowledged that the governor’s office hid the state’s nursing home COVID-19 death toll out of fear of political retribution from President Donald Trump.
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At the time, DeRosa apologized to a group of state Democrats for putting them in a precarious political position, acknowledging that withholding the data was “not fair.”
“So, we do apologize,” she said. “I do understand the position that you were put in. I know that it is not fair. It was not our intention to put you in that political position with the Republicans.”
The federal government requested information about New York nursing homes but declined to conduct a civil investigation, according to an announcement last month.
