The CEO of Time’s Up Now and the Time’s Up Foundation is resigning after two years with the advocacy group following reports that she stonewalled a statement supporting one of then Gov. Andrew Cuomo‘s alleged sexual harassment victims.
A report from the Washington Post published on Wednesday alleged that Tina Tchen prevented Time’s Up, which “aims to create a society free of gender-based discrimination in the workplace and beyond,” from issuing a statement in support of Lindsey Boylan, the first woman to publicly accuse Cuomo of sexual misconduct in December 2020. Tchen also texted senior Time’s Up advisers to “stand down” from releasing a statement in support of Boylan after the group was asked for comment by Fox News, the report added.
“Now is the time for TIME’S UP to evolve and move forward as there is so much more work to do for women,” Tchen wrote in a statement shared to Twitter.
“It is clear that I am not the leader who can accomplish that in this moment,” she continued. “I am especially aware that my position at the helm of TIME’S UP has become a painful and divisive focal point, where those very women and other activists who should be working together to fight for change are instead battling each other in harmful ways.”
KATHY HOCHUL ADDS NEARLY 12,000 COVID-19 DEATHS TO UPDATED NEW YORK TALLY
I am grateful for Times Up, and the time I’ve had. pic.twitter.com/sRlUZfXnYZ
— Tina Tchen (@TinaTchen) August 26, 2021
Boylan tweeted it was “sad that @TinaTchen still can’t take responsibility for the harm she’s caused” following the announcement.
Charlotte Bennett, another Cuomo accuser, also criticized Tchen’s statement.
“Instead of offering a sincere apology to the survivors, activists and allies she’s harmed, @TinaTchen goes out the same way our former Governor did — listing her accomplishments, pointing the finger at others, and attempting to justify her inexcusable behavior. Good riddance,” Bennett added on Thursday.
It’s sad that @tinatchen still can’t take responsibility for the harm she’s caused. I’m not talking about myself.
I speak about the many women who haven’t had the privilege of some accountability.
We aren’t fighting. We aren’t confused. We know where we are going and why. https://t.co/HVQOctakSQ
— Lindsey Boylan (@LindseyBoylan) August 26, 2021
The Time’s Up board of directors called Tchen’s decision a “demonstration of accountability and will allow our organization to move forward” in accepting her resignation on Thursday.
Boylan’s and Bennett’s accusations, along with those of several other women, spurred an investigation by Attorney General Letitia James, which culminated in a report released on Aug. 3 that found Cuomo sexually harassed 11 women, ultimately leading to his resignation.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
Gov. Kathy Hochul, who as lieutenant governor rose to the governorship following Cuomo’s resignation, has attempted to distance herself from the “toxic workplace environment” under her predecessor, appointing two women to top gubernatorial aide positions and pledging, “Nobody named in [James’s] report doing anything unethical will remain in my administration.”
Activist Monifa Bandele will start as the organization’s interim CEO on Aug. 31, Time’s Up announced.
