Andrew Cuomo described his top aide Melissa DeRosa as a 'mean girl', according to the New York attorney general's report, which detailed the 'toxic' work environment created by the governor and his feared advisor.
Known for her fierce loyalty to her boss, DeRosa, 38, has worked for Cuomo since 2013, and became a familiar face during the pandemic as she sat almost daily at Cuomo's side.
Letitia James's report into claims made by 11 women of sexual harassment painted a darker picture of DeRosa's role, however.
She worked to discredit several of the women, according to James's report, and was accused in the document of 'unlawful retaliation'.
DeRosa is accused in the 168-page document as helping to cultivate a 'toxic' workplace for young female staffers.
Melissa DeRosa is pictured with her boss, Andrew Cuomo, after meeting Donald Trump, the president-elect, in January 2017. DeRosa featured heavily in Tuesday's report into allegations of sexual harassment made against Cuomo by 11 women
'She can be very tough to deal with,' a source told The New York Post.
'DeRosa is feared. If you cross her, you're crossing the governor.'
Cuomo himself nicknamed her and others within the inner circle 'mean girls', the report said - although he denied the moniker. She asked him to stop.
DeRosa was previously acting chief of staff for the former attorney general, Eric Schneiderman, who in 2018 resigned after multiple women accused him of sexual violence.
When the allegations against Cuomo began to emerge this spring, DeRosa played a key role in trying to limit the damage.
The pair were known to be close: pictures emerged earlier this year showing Cuomo, now 63, and DeRosa, 38, enjoying an intimate dinner in the Knickerbocker Bar & Grill in Lower Manhattan on September 8, 2016.
Cuomo and DeRosa were pictured having a cosy dinner in September 2016 - shortly after she had married his former spokesman, Matthew Wing. He appeared at one point (pictured) to have his hand resting on her leg
DeRosa has worked for Cuomo since 2013 and is one of his closest allies and staunchest defenders
DeRosa is pictured with her husband, Matthew Wing, who is a communications chief for Uber
DeRosa had married former Cuomo spokesman Matthew Wing just 12 days earlier on August 27.
At the time Cuomo was in a long-term relationship with celebrity chef Sandra Lee. They were living together in her sprawling home in Mt. Kisco, New York until they eventually split in 2019.
Cuomo in 2020 began telling his staff that he was lonely and wanted another girlfriend.
When Charlotte Bennett, a 25-year-old health policy adviser, reported Cuomo's deeply uncomfortable probing of her sexual history and previous abuse, DeRosa and other top aides - including counsel Judith Mogul and former chief of staff Jill Des Rosiers - dragged their feet on acting on her concerns.
Charlotte Bennett, 25, said she saw Cuomo as a mentor - but felt that he was aggressively pursuing her sexually
