Top Cuomo Aide Melissa DeRosa Resigns as New York Governor Faces Impeachment

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s top aide Melissa DeRosa resigned late Sunday, less than a week after the release of a report from the state attorney general that found Cuomo sexually harassed 11 women.

“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,” DeRosa secretary to the governor said in a statement obtained by CNN.

“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 in the message, which did not mention Cuomo.

DeRosa’s resignation comes on the eve of a meeting of the state Assembly’s Judiciary Committee that could deliver a timeline for Cuomo’s potential impeachment. The 38-year-old, who held the highest-ranking appointed position in the state, appeared throughout New York State Attorney General Letitia James’ August 3 report, in which investigators concluded that Cuomo sexually harassed 11 women, including current and former state employees. The report detailed a “toxic” workplace environment under Cuomo and said that environment allowed for his allegedly harassing behavior to go overlooked. It also highlighted alleged instances of retaliation against at least one accuser.

Cuomo has denied the allegations, saying last week that he “never touched anyone inappropriately or made inappropriate sexual advances.”

The report detailed DeRosa’s role in seeking to discredit one of Cuomo’s accusers, Lindsey Boylan, by leaking personnel records and taking part in an effort to write and release a letter questioning Boylan’s character. The document was never made public.

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SOURCE: CNN, Gregory Krieg and Sonia Moghe