Andrew Cuomo's 'mean girl' aide Melissa DeRosa attacks ex-Governor's accusers as 'witness tamperers & self-described Cuomo's Hoes' in deleted tweet

  • On Thursday, Andrew Cuomo's top aide Melissa DeRosa went after her former boss' accusers on Twitter
  • DeRosa captioned  an article about AG Letitia James' investigation: 'About those ''victims'… aka witness tamperers & self-described ''Cuomo's Hoes'''
  • DeRosa's tweet linked to a report that said four female Cuomo aides, including accuser Brittany Commisso, were part of a group chat named 'Cuomo's Hoes'
  • The 'witness tampering' part of DeRosa's tweet stems from Cuomo's lawyer's allegation that James 'had evidence that  Boylan was tampering with a witness'

Andrew Cuomo's 'mean girl' aide Melissa DeRosa attacked the former governor's accusers on Thursday in a quickly deleted tweet after New York Attorney General Letitia James' office released video of their interviews with his brother Chris Cuomo. 

DeRosa went after her former boss' accusers on Twitter, captioning an article about James' investigation: 'About those ''victims''…aka witness tamperers & self-described ''Cuomo's Hoes.''' 

Her post, which she promptly deleted, comes after James released video of Chris Cuomo's testimony for the investigation into sexual harassment claims against his brother Andrew. The transcript of Cuomo's interview with the Attorney General's office was released on November 29, 2021, but the video was only released by her office on Thursday.

Weeks before Andrew Cuomo announced he was stepping down as governor in August 2021, DeRosa - whom her boss once dubbed a 'mean girl' - resigned from her $200,000-plus-a-year position as the former governor's secretary, citing how 'emotionally and mentally trying' her job was. 

She did not defend the women who came forward and accused the then-governor of sexual misconduct, sticking by his side to almost the bitter end.

A month after she stepped down, the 39-year-old confirmed her split from her Uber executive husband Matthew Wing. 

On Thursday Cuomo's top aide Melissa DeRosa (pictured) went after her former boss's accusers on Twitter

On Thursday Cuomo's top aide Melissa DeRosa (pictured) went after her former boss's accusers on Twitter

DeRosa captioned an article about AG Letitia James' investigation: 'about those 'victims'¿aka witness tamperers & self-described 'Cuomo's Hoes'

DeRosa captioned an article about AG Letitia James' investigation: 'about those 'victims'…aka witness tamperers & self-described 'Cuomo's Hoes'

New York Attorney General Letitia James (pictured) released video of Chris Cuomo's testimony for the investigation into sexual harassment claims against his brother Andrew

New York Attorney General Letitia James (pictured) released video of Chris Cuomo's testimony for the investigation into sexual harassment claims against his brother Andrew

The AG's investigative report also showed how Chris Cuomo texted his brother's aides, including DeRosa, throughout the scandal, wording statements for them to give to him and advising against PR strategies.

DeRosa's tweet linked an Albany Times Union report that said four female Cuomo aides, including accuser Brittany Commisso, were allegedly part of a group text chat named 'Cuomo's Hoes.' 

The 'witness tampering' part of DeRosa's tweet appears to stem from Cuomo's lawyer Rita Glavin's allegation that James 'had evidence that Ms. (Lindsay) Boylan was tampering with a witness.' 

Glavin claims that accuser Lindsay Boylan used the encrypted messaging app Confide to threaten state economic development czar Howard Zemsky, who is married with three children, after he and others disputed her claim that Cuomo asked her to play strip poker while they were on his official jet.

'I can't wait to destroy your life, your [sic] s–t follower,' Boylan allegedly told Zemsky.

'And I presume Ms. Boylan is referring to herself and knowing something about Mr. Zemsky,' Glavin said.

Glavin says that Zemsky 'changed his story' after getting the text, but that Boylan was never questioned about the message.

'The former governor and his attorney are continuing their smear campaign of Ms. Boylan to punish her for being the first of multiple women to expose the governor's misconduct,' said Boylan's attorney Julie Gerchik.  

Andrew Cuomo resigned in August 2021.

Cuomo has always denied the strongest of the allegations - that he groped a woman's breast - and said any comments he made that were inappropriate were intended as jokes

Cuomo has always denied the strongest of the allegations - that he groped a woman's breast - and said any comments he made that were inappropriate were intended as jokes

He has always denied the strongest of the allegations - that he groped a woman's breast - and said any comments he made that were inappropriate were intended as jokes.

The Albany County Sheriff's Office charged him with misdemeanor groping but the case was dismissed earlier this month.

He has not yet indicated whether he will pursue office again.

The footage released this week by the AG shows Chris Cuomo in a suit and tie, sitting in a law office in New York City on July 15, 2021, admitting that he advised his brother, then the governor of New York, not to 'go after' the women who claimed he'd sexually harassed them.  

He is nonchalant as he describes helping Andrew navigate the scandal - even though it posed a huge conflict of interest for him as a CNN journalist and host.

'I was trying to help my brother. I think cancel culture is real, so does my brother.

'I advised him that you cannot ignore these. That it's not going to go away, not in our society, not in our media culture, not in your party.

'I told him 'you have to be aware of that. That's why you can't go after your accusers. It's not right and it's not allowed. The only path is process,' he said of the claims of multiple women. 

The 348-page transcript of Chris Cuomo's testimony led to his firing from CNN.

It shows how he actively used his contacts as a journalist to dig up information on some of the accusers. 

The women who accused Gov Andrew Cuomo of harassment

Lindsay Boylan, 36 

Former aide Lindsay Boylan, 36, was the first woman to accuse Cuomo of sexual harassment in a Medium post on February 24. She claimed that the governor asked her to play strip poker and kissed her on the lips without her permission when she worked for him in 2017. 

Lindsay Boylan, 36

Lindsay Boylan, 36

Charlotte Bennett, 25

Charlotte Bennett, 25, came forward a few days after Boylan and claimed that Cuomo sexually harassed her last June while she was working as a health policy adviser in his administration at the height of the COVID-19 crisis.

Bennett accused Cuomo of 'grooming' her and asking inappropriate questions about her sex life. 

She also claimed that he told her he was open to dating women in their 20s. 

BENNETT said the governor asked her about her love life - including whether she ever had sex with older men - and talked about his own, saying that age differences didn't matter in relationships and he was open to dating women over 22. 

During a meeting alone in his office, the governor said he was lonely and talked about wanting to hug someone, Bennett said. 

She said she swiftly complained to Cuomo's chief of staff and was transferred to another job. 

She said she spoke to a lawyer for the governor, but didn´t insist on further action because she liked her new post and wanted to move on. 

Charlotte Bennett, 25

Charlotte Bennett, 25

Anna Ruch, 33

Anna Ruch was the third woman to accuse Cuomo of sexual harassment and the only one thus far who did not work with him in a professional capacity. She claimed that Cuomo put his hands on her face and asked if he could kiss her just moments after they met at a September 2019 wedding in Manhattan. 

Anna Ruch, 33

Anna Ruch, 33

Ana Liss, 35

Ana Liss, 35, a former aide, said Cuomo asked her whether she had a boyfriend, once kissed her hand at her desk and called her by patronizing names, including 'blondie,' 'sweetheart' and 'honey.' 

At a reception, the governor hugged her then put his arm around her lower back and waist as they posed for photo, Liss said. 

She said she eventually asked for a job transfer. In an interview, Liss said she was 'not claiming sexual harassment per se,' but felt the administration 'wasn't a safe space for young women to work.' 

Liss, who previously served as Cuomo's policy and operations aide between 2013 and 2015, told the Wall Street Journal that during her time in his administration, the governor had subjected her to unsolicited advances, including touching her lower back, kissing her hand and quizzing her about her love life. 

Ana Liss, 35

Ana Liss, 35

Karen Hinton, 62  

The oldest allegations against Cuomo came from Karen Hinton, who served as a press aide for him when he led the US Department of Housing and Urban Development two decades ago and she was a consultant for the agency. Hinton told the Washington Post about a 2000 incident when she said Cuomo summoned her to his 'dimly lit' hotel room and embraced her after a work event. She said she tried to pull away from Cuomo when he pulled her back and held her before she managed to escape the room. 

Karen Hinton, 62

Karen Hinton, 62

Unnamed sixth accuser

The most damning allegations leveled against Cuomo to date came from a sixth accuser, whose name has not been released. 

The accuser, who is a member of Cuomo's staff, alleged that he closed a door, reached under her blouse and fondled her after summoning her to the governor's mansion in Albany for help with his cellphone, according to the Times Union of Albany. 

It first reported on her accusation last month; she then gave more detail in her first interview on the matter. 

The woman spoke on the condition of anonymity to protect her privacy, although her identity is known within the governor´s circle, the Times Union reported.

The woman, an executive assistant, told the Times Union the governor gave her kisses on the cheek and inappropriately tight hugs for years and made remarks including, 'If you were single, the things that I would do to you' and 'I'm single and ready to mingle.'

Then, one day in November, she was summoned to his Executive Mansion office to help him with a cellphone problem, she said. 

He got up from his desk, started groping her and told her 'I don't care' after she tried to deflect him by saying he was going to get them into trouble, and then he slammed the door, she said.

Then he reached under her blouse and clutched one of her breasts over her bra, she told the newspaper.

The woman told a colleague this winter about the alleged encounter, and the co-worker told a supervisor in early March, according to the newspaper.

Cuomo called the report 'gut-wrenching' in a March statement and said: 'I have never done anything like this.' 

Another female aide, who has remained anonymous, claimed he called her to his Executive Mansion last year, reached under her blouse and fondled her

Another female aide, who has remained anonymous, claimed he called her to his Executive Mansion last year, reached under her blouse and fondled her

Jessica Bakeman

Jessica Bakeman claimed in a first-person article for New York Magazine that she was sexually harassed by Cuomo on several occasions since the start of her journalism career in 2012.

Bakeman added her voice as the seventh accuser as she detailed inappropriate touching by the governor as he continued to deny all of the claims.

'He took my hand, as if to shake it, then refused to let go,' Bakeman wrote of an interaction with Cuomo as she said goodnight at a holiday party in 2014 when she was only 25 years old.

'He put his other arm around my back, his hand on my waist, and held me firmly in place while indicating to a photographer he wanted us to pose for a picture.'

At the time Bakeman had been working for what is now Politico New York and claimed that red flags went up as her 'job was to analyze and scrutinize him'.

'I didn't want a photo of him with his hands on my body and a smile on my face,' she wrote.

Jessica Bakeman, a reporter who once covered the Cuomo administration, was the seventh woman to come forward with claims of harassment

Jessica Bakeman, a reporter who once covered the Cuomo administration, was the seventh woman to come forward with claims of harassment

'But I made the reflexive assessment that most women and marginalized people know instinctively, the calculation about risk and power and self-preservation. I knew it would be far easier to smile for the brief moment it takes to snap a picture than to challenge one of the most powerful men in the country.'

In an earlier 2012 incident while she was working for USA Today, Bakeman also claims that Cuomo kept her pinned to his side as he told a story to her male colleagues.

'He left it there, and kept me pinned next to him, for several minutes as he finished telling his story,' she said. 'I stood there, my cheeks hot, giggling nervously as my male colleagues did the same. We all knew it was wrong, but we did nothing.'

The reporter, who now works in Florida, claimed that Cuomo 'never let me forget I was a woman' as she also alleged that he made frequent attempts to humiliate her, including calling out her purple phone instead of answering her question during a press gaggle.

Alyssa McGrath, 33

McGrath, a current administrative assistant in Cuomo's office, told The New York Times that he looked down her shirt, quizzed her about her marital status, and told her she was beautiful, using an Italian phrase she had to ask her parents to interpret.

McGrath didn't say the governor made sexual contact with her but thought his behavior was sexual harassment. 

She recalled Cuomo kissing her on the forehead and gripping her firmly around the sides while posing for a photo at a 2019 office Christmas party.

Alyssa McGrath (pictured) is one of two aides who have come forward to accuse the governor of harassment

Alyssa McGrath (pictured) is one of two aides who have come forward to accuse the governor of harassment

Sherry Vill, 55 

Sherry Vill, 55, accused Cuomo of sexual misconduct during a press conference with her attorney Gloria Allred on Monday. 

She alleges Cuomo grabbed her face and kissed her 'aggressively and in a sexual manner' on both cheeks in May 2017 while he was touring her home in Greece, near Rochester, as he inspected local flood damage.

Vill, who said she felt uncomfortable at the time, shared an image her daughter took on the day that showed Cuomo holding her face as he kissed her cheek and her attorney held up multiple photos showing the Governor inside her home. 

The same photos appear on Cuomo's Flickr account, as well as multiple others that show him kissing and greeting residents as he toured the town.

None of the women in the other photos have accused the governor of inappropriate behavior or wrongdoing.   

Sherry Vill, 55, accused Cuomo of sexual misconduct on Monday.  Vill, who said she felt uncomfortable at the time, shared an image her daughter took on the day that showed Cuomo holding her face as he kissed her cheek

Sherry Vill, 55, accused Cuomo of sexual misconduct on Monday.  Vill, who said she felt uncomfortable at the time, shared an image her daughter took on the day that showed Cuomo holding her face as he kissed her cheek

The comments below have been moderated in advance.

The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline.

By posting your comment you agree to our house rules.