Ex-Cuomo aide Melissa DeRosa denies claim she 'spearheaded' bullying of accusers

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Melissa DeRosa, a former top aide to disgraced New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, fired back on Monday night after a reporter made an apparent reference to claims regarding her conduct in a damning report compiled by the state attorney general.

The dispute unfolded after a CBS New York reporter responded to a tweet in which DeRosa questioned the accuracy of New York State Attorney General Letitia James’ report. The reporter noted that James found at least 11 women who accused Cuomo of sexual harassment to be credible, adding that DeRosa "spearheaded the bullying part" in the attorney general’s report.

"Nope that’s actually not what it says, but thank you," DeRosa said in response. "And the AG’s office deeming anything credible will be debated moving forward."

DeRosa was a top adviser to Cuomo, serving as the governor’s secretary until her resignation on Aug. 10. Alyssa McGrath and Virginia Limmiatis, two of the women who accused Cuomo of harassment, described DeRosa as his "enabler-in-chief" following her resignation.

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The attorney general's report mentioned DeRosa by name 187 times. Investigators determined that DeRosa participated in an alleged effort to discredit Cuomo accuser Lindsey Boylan by leaking her personnel file. The report deemed the action to be a case of unlawful retaliation against Boylan.

DeRosa is also alleged to have pressured a former staffer to "surreptitiously record" a phone call with a Cuomo accuser identified as "Kaitlin" to determine if she was coordinating with Boylan against the governor.

In another instance detailed in the report, Cuomo purportedly asked Kaitlin how the "mean girls" were treating her, in an apparent reference to DeRosa and other senior staffers. 

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James’ report found that Cuomo oversaw a workplace culture "rife with fear and intimidation." Cuomo has apologized but denied wrongdoing, asserting the allegations were politically motivated. 

The governor resigned earlier this month and will leave office effective Monday night.