Melissa DeRosa, who is characterized in the media as “Cuomo’s top aide,” resigned last night. This is a big deal. Melissa did some bad, bad things:
Throughout the attorney general’s report, DeRosa is mentioned by name 187 times — as much as Cuomo. She is portrayed as a constant force, taking part in an alleged effort to discredit one of his accusers, lining up women and elected officials to defend him and even confronting and chastising the governor about his behavior at one point.
In December, after former aide Lindsey Boylan tweeted that the governor was “one of the biggest abusers of all time,” DeRosa asked a former lawyer to the governor for Boylan’s “full file,” according to investigators.
Cuomo aides then distributed Boylan’s personnel record, which included internal complaints, to a number of reporters — actions that violated laws prohibiting retaliation against victims of sexual harassment, the report said.
On another occasion, DeRosa allegedly asked a former staffer to call and record a state employee who had tweeted about Boylan supportively, looking to ferret out what further claims might emerge, according to the report.
But she didn’t use the tape, ultimately, the report said. “It didn’t go well,” DeRosa told investigators.
Melissa is technically “Cuomo’s top aide” but she’s also the first woman to hold the position of “Secretary to the Governor” which is the highest appointed position in New York. She’s paid more than the governor. She’s also his right hand — when the Cuomo show was still airing, she was the person who knew the details. She’s smart and fierce. If she’s not around to help Cuomo plan his defense, it’s a huge sign that the walls are crumbling around Mario’s kid.
Another bad sign: the woman named in the AG’s report as “Executive Assistant #1” appeared in a CBS This Morning interview. Her name is Brittany Commisso, and she is the one who filed a criminal complaint against Cuomo for groping her on multiple occasions.
This morning, the Assembly Judiciary Committee is meeting in executive session, after which the Speaker of the Assembly, Carl Heastie, and Judiciary Committee Chair Charles Lavine will hold a press conference. This, along with her possible criminal culpability, probably also played a role in De Rosa’s Sunday resignation.
OzarkHillbilly
Getting her own lawyer.
mvr
The sooner Cuomo’s gone the better. Entitled asshole who no doubt has done this sort of thing for all of his adult life. These people are a liability. If they actually cared about what politicians should care about they would at least rein themselves in. So they are doubly assholes. First because only an asshole would do what he did. And second because their concern with public good is all a facade.
MattF
From what I’ve read, ‘top aide’ is an understatement. DeRosa is (was) Cuomo’s Hand and Voice. She was also the target of a Mo Dowd column. I can see her deciding that enough is enough.
Spanky
Hmmmm. Details seem to point to “flight risk”. Seems like the centipede’s shoes are beginning to drop.
Cervantes
For the sake of party, state and country, Cuomo needs to resign now. His holding out is disgustingly selfish and obviously futile, but what do you expect from a malignant narcissist?
germy
Meritocracy!
PST
Compulsory link: Baby Did a Bad Bad Thing
germy
The beltway press loves the Cuomo story because it takes up time they’d otherwise be compelled to spend on Republican misbehavior:
Another Scott
@germy: +1
“Both Sides!!”
:-/
Cuomo must go. Who’s going to tell him?
AndrewChris? What’s he up to these days? Maybe they can both take a long vacation somewhere…Cheers,
Scott.
Kay
@germy:
There’s always a hyper-focus on NY though. IMO.
You never would have heard of Donald Trump if he had been a shopping mall developer from Arkansas.
MontyTheClipArtMongoose
@germy: is andrew cuomo’s nonconsensual erection a bigger threat to american democracy than gqp violent insurrection?
raven
Artemis update, we’re keeping her and probably going with “Artie”!
laura
On a day in a week that the 24/7 news should be all tfg plotting to subvert the Constitution no matter the cost, we get “The woman who; along with his big media cosseted sibling; protected and defended the greasy shite-bag and his raging ego boner.”
I ain’t having it! Not down for it at all. Fetch the bolt cutters.
MagdaInBlack
@raven:I’m shocked, shocked I am =-)
Betty Cracker
@raven: Aww, I knew that would happen! :)
Mary G
@raven: That makes me ridiculously happy.
Another Scott
@raven: :-)
Have a great time together!
Cheers,
Scott.
Emma from Miami
I am tired of the “ohmygawd, this is the worst thing ever” dialogue. He is and always was a douche. But he is not a fucking existential threat to the Democratic party. There are biggest fish to fry than the Cuomo brothers.
Spanky
The Cuomo story has many fewer moving parts than the full insurrection conspiracy story. Plus, it doesn’t deal in naughty bits, so not of interest to our betters in journalism, and by extension not of interest to the plebes. Because why would the public not be fascinated with exactly what transfixes journalists?
raven
@MagdaInBlack: We tried so hard to be sensible but she is such a sweetheart. I asked my wife about her theory of grieving time and she said “she’s not for Bohdi she’s for Lil Bit”!
MattF
I think it’s dawning on people that Cuomo enjoyed doing these ‘nonconsensual’ things because they were nonconsensual. So, yeah, Andrew’s gotta go.
Cervantes
@germy: All the more reason for Cuomo to resign now and get it over with.
laura
@raven: foster fail- the best kind of failure. All the best to all a y’all.
scav
Even though it’s from the FTFNYT, I do somehow enjoy this paragraph:
For multiple reasons. Involving both SOP at the Governors office and the newspaper (at the very least).
ETAM Happy Dog Day!!
Miss Bianca
@raven: Hahaha, that didn’t take long! Congrats on the new fur baby! What tipped the scale, btw? I know you said you had some folks come over and look at her the other day, did that kick in the “no way, hosers, she’s MINE!” instinct? : )
Sure Lurkalot
@raven: Wow! Artie picked her some lovable humans. I wish this was FP’d rather than more about freaking Randy Andy.
hueyplong
The sooner Cuomo is gone, the sooner the focus moves to J Rosen.
So today seems good.
WereBear
@raven: Bwahahahaha!
germy
frosty
@raven: That’s a big change from all your previous posts. (And one foretold by many commenters).
ETA Sounds like a good pup and a good match. Congrats!
eclare
@raven: Wonderful news!
pat
@raven:
Why am I not surprised? Congratulations to all of you and have fun together!
trollhattan
Do Republicans want Cuomo gone because he’s the enemy (the knee-jerk response) or do they want him in office to continue tainting the Democrat(ic) brand?
randy khan
Rats. Sinking ship.
The sooner he goes, the better.
germy
feebog
The handwriting is on the wall in large italics. Once the formal impeachment proceedings are underway, he will resign.
Ceci n est pas mon nym
Are those really the only laws governing giving a confidential HR file to reporters? I would think that’s considered a Bad Thing on a number of grounds, including lawsuits.
raven
@Miss Bianca: Yes and they have been great. She texted me congrats and just wanted what was best for the pu.
TS (the original)
@Cervantes:
Always the democrats have to resign. Always the republicans do much worse and bluff their way out of paying for what they do. This is what is causing a massive fail in US governance.
Democrats eat their own way too often for the best and worst of reasons.
Elizabelle
@raven: What … not a surprise.
Who is luckier here? Artie (Artemis) or her people? Discuss.
Congratulations, raven. You must keep us in Artie photos.
Elizabelle
@TS (the original): True.
Although: raise your hand if you wish Anthony Weiner had stuck it out longer. [ETA: Phrasing!]
Writing is on the wall.
Jackals: any guesses on when Cuomo will be gone? I am guessing end of this week, maybe sooner. Or maybe he will stick it out. Who knows? Anyway, he is on his way out, by resignation or removal.
raven
@raven: pup
raven
@Elizabelle: We are for sure.
schrodingers_cat
@raven: Congratulations! And thanks for the really nice comment you left about me in one of the goodbye to Cheryl posts last week.
Feathers
@TS (the original): I do not disagree with your overall sentiment, but this is not one of those cases. Cuomo is awful as a person AND awful as a Democrat. He has blocked necessary progressive measures in NY and boosted Republican power to undercut the power of other members of his party. He is a lousy centrist who looks only to his own interests, not those of his state or the country. In fact, typing this out, I realize that he is the embodiment of centrism as narcissism, where the someone’s politics are defined by making everyone else bow and scrape to their whims.
Good riddance to bad rubbish. I am convinced that all of these women came forward when he started getting all the good press because of his pandemic response. They saw that he could use this to leverage this surge in popularity to make his way to the national stage. They were only reminded people what an awful person he is. We knew he was a bully, we just didn’t know the depths of it.
Cameron
@germy: I made the mistake of watching that. Feels like I took a quick dip in a sewer.
West of the Rockies
And another Cuomo thread…
Suzanne
@raven: WOOOOHOOOO!
Love it.
germy
@Cameron:
He’s a conservative intellectual.
He’s the best they can do.
Kay
@Feathers:
I think there has been a shift in the Democratic Party where women’s rights in the workplace are in the bundle of “civil rights” – they’re still forming this approach but they will end up there. It’s only “about” sex in that that’s the lever horrible men use against women, but “in the workplace” is the key piece.
“me too” will gain clarity and narrow and no longer be some broad societal discussion about “how men treat women”. Democrats will focus in on the civil rights issue, which is in the workplace.
They’re not treating this as “Randy Andy misbehaving” because the civil rights issue is “women’s rights at work”. It’s a better focus and it makes more sense.
Cameron
@germy: I thought he was a convicted felon.
Kay
@Feathers:
I think the civil rights issue got lost a little because the first big public case was “Hollywood” and that’s not ordinary work to people, but what those women were objecting to was “this is my job– I have to meet with these fuckers off site for my job“. The repercussions they suffered were personal – of course- but that’s not the focus. What they were afraid of is not being able to work.
Scout211
@Cameron:
Convicted and then pardoned by TFG in 2018.
https://www.cnn.com/2018/05/31/politics/trump-dinesh-dsouza-pardon/index.html
Joy in FL
@raven: That’s great news. May you and Artie have much happiness : )
CaseyL
@raven:
I’m shocked, shocked!
j/k
Hard to tell who I’m happiest for: Artie, who will be able to stay with the humans who brought her back into the light; or you two, who fell so hard for her.
I look forward to hearing new adventures with Artie!
Enhanced Voting Techniques
I wonder if the NY state legislature proposing to replace Cuomo’s official portrait with a picture of Cuomo’s penis hanging out of his pants will get the message across to Governor Grabby McGrabbyface it’s time to resign.
hilts
Agreed that this development is a big deal, but don’t expect it to move Cuomo even an angstrom closer to resigning. He’s an egomaniacal, obnoxious prick who’ll have to be removed from office kicking and screaming. He’ll drag this thing out as long as humanly possible.
Enhanced Voting Techniques
@Kay: I think one thing that needs to be pushed more is Masher Bosses don’t just restrict their asshole behavior to the women and screw with their male subordinates just as bad, even it’s not necessarily sexual. Everyone is feed up with crappy working environments and abusives bosses are a big part of it.
?BillinGlendaleCA
@raven: Another failed foster, congrats.
James E Powell
@TS (the original):
This is not Democrats eating their own, this is us being better than Republicans.
Jackie
@raven: I wish you could see the huge grin on my face!?
Artie is a very lucky pup! May she give you as much love and joy as you and your bride will give her!♥️
DB11
@Enhanced Voting Techniques: Exactly. I used to work for a narcissistic, sociopathic boss who grabbed both men’s and women’s crotches: the men’s as a dominance maneuver, and the women as a sexual overture / power move. (“I can do this because I want to and you have no recourse”)
While I never witnessed it in person — and he never attempted it on me — he used to brag to me about doing it to the men, but was terrified that the (last) woman he did it to would report him. (she never did).
I resigned from the company due to this and other egregious behaviours, but later regretted that I didn’t actively do something to catch him out.
Feathers
@Kay: Definitely! What I was reacting to was the “Democrats eat their own while Republicans party on” response. There may be some borderline cases, but this is a good thing! Also, even before we knew about the sexual harassment, Cuomo was a terrible Democrat who needed to be kept from higher office.
I totally agree with the change over not having to deal with sexual harassment as a workplace issue. Education, too. I was talking with a dolt about “due process” for men accused of rape. I asked him if every college orientation should include a speech where the female students are informed that ten percent of them will be raped while students here, with no consequences for the perpetrators, in order to preserve these young men’s due process rights. He got really pissed off. I don’t care.
Betty
@raven: Congratulations and best wishes to the family.
tam1MI
Just wait until the new Republican governor of New York gives a full and complete pardon to Donald Trump, his family, and the Trump Organization for any and all crimes committed in the state of New York. Because that is the dynamite the Dems are playing with here.
Meanwhile Matt Gaetz laughs it up, untouched and untouchable.
germy
jonas
@trollhattan:
Were there actually any electable statewide Republicans in the wings to run for governor next year, Cuomo’s fall would be a big deal for the GOP. Unfortunately all they’ve got is batshit insane Trumpers, so a reasonable Democrat — particularly if it’s a woman — stands a pretty good chance of retaining the governor’s seat.
Wyatt Salamanca
@TS (the original):
Setting aside the sexual harassment allegations, Cuomo’s attempted coverup of the nursing home death toll from COVID should be sufficient grounds to remove him from office.
The MSM portrayal of Cuomo as a competent manager who responded properly to COVID was a myth and because of his incompetence thousands of innocent New Yorkers died. Granted, Cuomo’s failure wasn’t on the scale of Trump but he still fucked up big time and he must be held accountable for his lies and his incompetence.
germy
Another Scott
@Enhanced Voting Techniques: Obligatory…
Cheers,
Scott.
raven
@Betty: Thanks to all, apparently we are the only people who thought we wouldn’t keep her!
Mary G
Anya
Worse than the abusers are those who enable their abuse and cover it up for them. Why would someone as smart and as accomplished as DeRosa sell her soul for an abuser like Cuomo? I never understood what compels, otherwise smart people, to ruin their careers and their moral standing for awful people?
Kay
@Enhanced Voting Techniques:
That’s not really where I’m going with this. “Abusive bosses” or “crappy workplace” is not defined enough to be handled by lawmakers. They can’t legislate that.
Imagine Cuomo had gotten around whatever scheme there is for promotion and pay scale to deliberately pay women less than men in violation of the NY code. Democrats are putting sexual harrassment in the workplace into that basket, as a gender-based bias that harms women in the workplace, in their professional capacity.
When anti-byullying initiatives started in public schools people took it in this broad context “bullies are a part of life! Are you going to police everyone all the time?”
It ended up pretty simple. That behavior will not be tolerated in schools because it affects the rights of the bullied student- that student has a right to attend school unmolested. Their right to be left alone and pursue an education will no longer be second to the bullies wish to harm them, whether bullying is the norm or not.
People need to do their stuff. If Mr. Cuomo can’t restrain himself from grabbing them he needs to go, not them. That’s the new norm.
germy
@Anya:
Because she is an awful person herself?
Four Seasons Total Landscaping mistermix
@tam1MI:
Cuomo’s impeachment will elevate a competent Democrat, Kathy Hochul, to the office of Governor. She would wipe the floor with any of the Republicans who will run for Governor, including Giuliani’s golfing failson. A Cuomo impeachment is, politically, a boon for NY Democrats. His possible repeat candidacy for Governor in the next election would be the worst possible outcome for Democrats, because he’d be a weak candidate if he made it through a bruising primary.
sab
@raven: I’ve had our pitbull for a month, and I am crazy about her. Meankitty wants to be friends ( she misses our late dog) and Ponyo is so surprised and happy about it.
Mary G
This’ll make Rod Dreher’s head explode, along with all the other Republicans:
geg6
@raven:
I knew it! She hit the jackpot!
tam1MI
I hope to every god on offer you’re right…
pat
@raven:
As I recall your first comment, she was perfect, she loved you and you loved her, but she was going to get too big.
And everyone was, yeah, riiigght.
J R in WV
@Kay:
One word: “Whitewater” was supposed to put Bill Clinton and Hillary both in the hoosegow, in Arkansas, but did not.
We sure heard a lot about it, tho, mostly falsehoods intended ot be incriminating. All the way from Arkansas!
J R in WV
@raven:
This is my shocked face: :-) that you are keeping that puppy!
Glad for you guys AND the puppy, who needs all the love you can give her, which you will donate fearlessly. Good job!!