New York's top aide to the governor, Andrew Cuomo, resigned Sunday, saying in a statement that the past two years in office have been "emotionally and mentally tough."
Melissa DeRosa's resignation comes as Cuomo faces an investigation by the New York attorney general, who released a report claiming that the Democratic politician
sexually harassed nearly a dozen women and violated state and federal laws.
The report claims that DeRosa, one of Cuomo's most trusted confidants and strategists, had spearheaded efforts to retaliate against one of the women who publicly accused him in December.
The Democratic politician has faced multiple calls to leave his post in recent weeks, something he has refused to do, after maintaining that the accusations against him are false.
Melissa DeRosa with Governor Andrew Cuomo during a 2018 press conference. AP
DeRosa revealed earlier this year that the Cuomo Administration took months to release data on the death toll from coronavirus in New York because officials were "paralyzed" by concerns that information "would be used" against them. .
"I will always be grateful for the opportunity to have worked with such talented and committed colleagues on behalf of our state," she said Sunday.
Several Democrats, including the President, Joe Biden, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, have asked him to resign, or face impeachment.
63% of New York Voters Believe Governor Andrew Cuomo Should Resign
Aug. 4, 202101: 55
About two-thirds of the members of the state Assembly have already said they are in favor of impeachment if he refuses to resign.
Almost every member of the state Senate has called for his resignation or removal.
Cuomo said for months that audiences will be "shocked" once he shares his side of the story.
However, he has not made any public comment since the release of the 168-page state attorney's report.
Brittany Commisso, an executive assistant who accused Cuomo of groping her, said Sunday that what the governor did to her is a crime.
She is the first woman to file a criminal complaint against the politician.
In the first public interview in which he identified himself, he told CBS This Morning and the Albany Times-Union that the governor "needs to be held accountable."
