The stories covered in this timeline entry involve events that took place on 9 August 2021, each involving notable players in Andrew M. Cuomo's influence network.
- Time’s Up Exec Roberta Kaplan Resigns After Involvement in Cuomo Investigation and Open Letter From Ex-Staffers
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Perhaps no single individual has done more to discredit the cause of the organization they lead than Roberta Kaplan, who placed her political loyalty to Andrew M. Cuomo ahead of supporting women accusing him of sexual harassment.
Roberta Kaplan, a prominent lawyer who co-founded Time’s Up, has resigned from the organization after she was named in the New York Attorney General’s investigation into Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s sexual harassment allegations.
Her resignation comes after a group of former Time’s Up staffers and Time’s Up Legal Defense Fund clients published an open letter to the board, calling out the organization for “failing all survivors.”
“We write to you as a collective group of survivors and victims who believe Time’s Up is failing the survivor community. We believed in your mission and hoped that your investment in eradicating sexual assault and harassment in the workplace would change the tide to support us as we came forward, but we are disappointed,” the letter, published Monday, reads. “Time’s Up” has abandoned the very people it was supposed to champion. The board continues to fail to heed the outcry from survivors. Time’s Up is failing all survivors.”
- Human Rights Campaign hires outside law firm to investigate president's role in Cuomo scandal
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"President" in this case refers to former Cuomo aide and current president of the Human Rights Campaign LGBTQ advocacy group Alphonso David, who will be investigated over his role in participating in Team Cuomo's retaliation campaign against Lindsey Boylan, the first woman to come forward alleging Cuomo's sexual harassment and misconduct.
The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) has hired an outside law firm to look into its president’s involvement in helping New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) in his response to allegations of sexual harassment made against him.
Morgan Cox and Jodie Patterson, board chairs for HRC and the HRC Foundation respectively, announced in a statement Monday that the organization hired law firm Sidley Austin LLP to conduct an internal investigation into Alphonso David’s involvement in helping Cuomo respond to the accusations against him.
The two officials said the investigation will “include consideration of whether Alphonso David’s actions aligned with HRC’s mission and values, as well as with professional and ethics standards.”
They said David will cooperate with the investigation, which is led by the board and will take no longer than 30 days, adding that it will "help shed light on the events that unfolded and guide the Boards on any necessary next steps.”
In the 4 August 2021 reporting of David's involvement, it appeared David had the full support of HRC's board. This report indicates the board may be having second thoughts and is preparing the way to make a leadership change if they decide David's continued presence on the board would harm the organization's image and ability to fundraise.
- Gov. Cuomo’s accusers react to aide Melissa DeRosa’s sudden resignation
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This report covers the reaction to the highest profile resignation from Team Cuomo from two lesser known victims. It's no spoiler to say they were looking for something more than just Melissa DeRosa's resignation.
Women allegedly victimized by Gov. Andrew Cuomo called the resignation of his “enabler-in-chief” Melissa DeRosa a cowardly move Monday after the top aide announced her sudden departure amid criticism over her attempts to discredit the governor’s accusers.
“Ms. DeRosa was Cuomo’s enabler-in-chief and is jumping ship only when she sees no other way to save herself,” Alyssa McGrath and Virginia Limmiatis, two of the 11 women who Attorney General Letitia James found were sexually harassed by the governor, said through their attorney Mariann Wang.
“Her resignation isn’t enough: she still refuses to take responsibility for her role in Cuomo’s unlawful conduct,” Wang said.
DeRosa has been a major figure in Cuomo's influence network. The power Cuomo endowed her with in her position and her willingness to act as Cuomo's enforcer both enabled much of Cuomo's questionable behavior and kept it from being reported in the media as it was taking place, thanks to the toxic culture of fear Cuomo and she established within New York's governor's office.
