Sunday, July 05, 2020

5 July 2020: Top Cuomo Staffer Edits His Pandemic "Leadership" Book, NY DOH Nursing Home Report

This timeline entry is based on information presented in a New York Times article published on 31 March 2021. The following excerpt reveals the role that Secretary to the Governor Melissa DeRosa had in both editing drafts of the Govneor's pandemic leadership book:

One aide to the governor, speaking on the condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation, said that she and others were also asked to assist in typing or transferring notes for Mr. Cuomo’s book, which he composed in part by dictating into a cellphone.

“Sorry lady can u print this too and put in a binder,” Ms. Benton wrote to another female staffer on July 5, a Sunday. “And drop at mansion.”

Ms. DeRosa, the highest nonelected official in Mr. Cuomo’s office, was particularly involved with the development of the book, and was present during some online pitch meetings with Mr. Cuomo. The July 5 request, in fact, was to print a 224-page draft entitled “MDR edits” — a reference to Ms. DeRosa, who had sent the draft to Ms. Benton on July 4, according to the emails. The staffers communicated via personal Gmail accounts, not official governmental email addresses.

DeRosa was concurrently involved in reviewing and edition the nearly finished report for the New York Department of Health's investigation of COVID nursing home deaths during the period the Cuomo administration's deadly 25 March 2020 directive was in effect. That report would be released the next day.

Here is where other items mentioned in these passages appear as key events in the timeline:

-