NEW YORK (WBEN) — Leading up to her resignation Sunday, top Cuomo aide Melissa DeRosa reportedly urged the governor to leave office.
DeRosa had urged Cuomo for weeks to resign or announce that he wouldn't seek re-election in 2022 in order to calm talks of impeachment, according to a News 12 report in New York .
DeRosa stepped down Sunday night after an “emotionally and mentally trying” last two years. The close confidant to Cuomo was mentioned nearly 200 times in New York Attorney General Letitia James’ 168-page report that found Cuomo sexually harassed 11 women.
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Investigators say DeRosa was a central figure in his office’s retaliation against Lindsey Boylan, after she became the first person to speak out publicly against Cuomo. The administration released internal memos showing that Boylan had, herself, been the subject of complaints about toxic workplace behavior.
The investigators’ report also revealed some tension between the governor and his top aide; she told investigators she was so upset with the way Cuomo had handled a conversation with one of his accusers that she angrily got out of his car when it stopped at a traffic light.
Cuomo continued to face intense pressure to resign Monday, as a formerly unnamed aide who filed a criminal complaint against Cuomo made her first public appearance. Brittany Commisso told CBS This Morning that filing a criminal complaint was “the right thing to do” and that “the governor needs to be held accountable.”
Also on Monday, Roberta Kaplan, the leader of Time's Up, resigned for advising Cuomo's administration behind the scenes in its effort to discredit Boylan.
New York Assembly's judiciary committee met Monday to discuss possible impeachment proceedings, with plans to make impeachment recommendations in a ’matter of weeks.’
The Associated Press contributed to this report.