The woman who brought down Andrew Cuomo: ‘I dropped a nuclear bomb on my life’
The IndependentSign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. The investigation found: “The Governor sexually harassed a number of current and former New York State employees by, among other things, engaging in unwelcome and non-consensual touching, as well as making numerous offensive comments of a suggestive and sexual nature that created a hostile work environment for women.” It would ultimately lead to Mr Cuomo’s resignation, ending his 10-year run as governor, bringing down one of the most prominent Democrats in America, and devastating a family political legacy that stretched over almost 50 years. In the weeks afterward, Mr Cuomo and his team worked to counter Ms Boylan’s allegations – a campaign the James report would later describe as “unlawful retaliation”. open image in gallery The Cuomo brothers regularly appeared on CNN together before the sexual harassment scandal rocked Andrew Cuomo’s career open image in gallery CNN host Chris Cuomo was also forced to apologise for his role advising his brother in the scandal In one published audio recording referenced in Letitia James’s report, Melissa DeRosa, Mr Cuomo’s chief of staff, is heard trying to send Ms Boylan’s personnel file to two journalists at Albany’s Times Union newspaper – the file allegedly showed Ms Boylan had been difficult to work for. “And it was part of his undoing.” At the time Ms Boylan stepped forward, Mr Cuomo’s daily, televised Covid briefings from New York earned him the nickname “America’s Governor”.