{"id":613165,"date":"2021-08-05T15:50:24","date_gmt":"2021-08-05T19:50:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=613165"},"modified":"2021-08-05T15:50:32","modified_gmt":"2021-08-05T19:50:32","slug":"staff-of-largest-lgbtq-advocacy-group-reportedly-demand-president-resign-for-helping-cuomo-discredit-metoo-accuser","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/staff-of-largest-lgbtq-advocacy-group-reportedly-demand-president-resign-for-helping-cuomo-discredit-metoo-accuser\/","title":{"rendered":"Staff Of Largest LGBTQ Advocacy Group Reportedly Demand President Resign For Helping Cuomo Discredit #MeToo Accuser"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">32<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fstaff-of-largest-lgbtq-advocacy-group-reportedly-demand-president-resign-for-helping-cuomo-discredit-metoo-accuser%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=613165&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><ul>\n<li><strong>Members of the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) are reportedly calling for their president to resign after an investigation by the New York attorney general\u2019s office found that he helped Andrew Cuomo discredit one of the governor\u2019s accusers.&nbsp;<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>The Huffington Post obtained a recording of a HRC all-staff meeting that took place Wednesday in which employees criticized HRC President Alphonso David for several hours and repeatedly called on him to resign.&nbsp;<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>\u201cAlphonso, we will band together and take this to the board to request your resignation,\u201d another employee reportedly told him. \u201cAre you willing to take down our org with you?\u201d<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Members of the nation\u2019s largest LGBTQ rights advocacy group are reportedly calling for their president to resign after an investigation found that he helped Andrew Cuomo discredit one of the New York governor\u2019s accusers.<\/p>\n<p>The Huffington Post <a href=\"https:\/\/www.huffpost.com\/entry\/human-rights-campaign-alphonso-david-andrew-cuomo_n_610ac8e1e4b0b94f6077dec0\">obtained a recording<\/a> of a Human Rights Campaign all-staff meeting that took place Wednesday in which employees reportedly criticized HRC President Alphonso David for several hours and repeatedly called on him to resign.<\/p>\n<div class=\"content-list-component yr-content-list-text text\" readability=\"35.4057187017\">\n<p>David, who served as part of Cuomo\u2019s council from 2015 to 2019, reportedly told employees that he \u201cknew nothing\u201d and \u201csaw nothing,\u201d adding that \u201cNo one ever disclosed allegations of harassment with me, either during or after I worked in state service.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"content-list-component yr-content-list-text text\" readability=\"12.774566473988\">\n<p>\u201cWill you be resigning?\u201d one staffer reportedly asked David. <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2021\/08\/04\/times-up-cuomo-lindsey-boylan-metoo\/\">(RELATED: TIME\u2019S UP Founders Allegedly Helped Cuomo Discredit Accuser Lindsey Boylan, Investigation Finds)<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"content-list-component yr-content-list-text text\" readability=\"35\">\n<p>\u201cAlphonso, we will band together and take this to the board to request your resignation,\u201d another employee reportedly said. \u201cAre you willing to take down our org with you?\u201d<\/p>\n<h3>What Did The Report Find?<\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>David publicly called on Cuomo to resign in a Tuesday evening tweet after Attorney General Letitia James announced&nbsp;the investigation <a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2021\/08\/03\/new-york-attorney-general-letitia-james-andrew-cuomo-sexually-harassment-women\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">found<\/a> that the governor had \u201csexually harassed a number of State employees through unwelcome and unwanted touching, as well as by making numerous offensive and sexually suggestive comments\u201d and that this conduct \u201cwas part of a pattern of behavior that extended to his interactions with others outside of State government.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Cuomo <a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2021\/08\/03\/andrew-cuomo-lindsey-boylan-metoo-new-york\/\">denied Tuesday<\/a> that he ever inappropriately touched anyone, and said that those attacking him are discrediting \u201clegitimate\u201d victims of harassment.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" readability=\"10.315555555556\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">After reading the AG\u2019s devastating report that concluded Gov. Cuomo engaged in a pattern of sexual harassment, in violation of both federal and state law, he should resign.<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Alphonso David (@AlphonsoDavid) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/AlphonsoDavid\/status\/1422685986753060866?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">August 3, 2021<\/a> <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>A report on the investigation implicates David in Cuomo\u2019s efforts to discredit accuser Lindsey Boylan, who accused the governor of sexual harassment of kissing her on the lips, and asking her to play strip poker.<\/p>\n<p>David reportedly provided confidential files on Boylan to senior Cuomo advisers, participated in the drafting of a letter discrediting Boylan and sought out women to provide positive statements about the governor, according to a report on the investigation by the New York attorney general\u2019s office. <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2021\/08\/03\/cuomo-adviser-richard-azzopardi-lindsey-boylan\/\">(RELATED: Hours After #METOO Allegations Surfaced, Top Cuomo Adviser Released Oppo File On Accuser Lindsey Boylan To Media)<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_7253790\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" readability=\"38\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-7253790\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-7253790 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/GettyImages-471548378-scaled-1.jpg\" alt=\"NEW YORK, NY - APRIL 29: (L-R) Glennda Testone, Governor Andrew Cuomo, Charles King and Alphonso David attend a press conference to announce &#039;The Blueprint To End AIDS&#039; in New York on April 29, 2015 in New York City. (Photo by Gary Gershoff\/Getty Images for Housing Works)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/GettyImages-471548378-scaled-1.jpg 2560w, https:\/\/cdn01.dailycaller.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/GettyImages-471548378-180x120.jpg 180w, https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/GettyImages-471548378-620x413-1.jpg 620w, https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/GettyImages-471548378-768x511-1.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/GettyImages-471548378-1536x1022-1.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/GettyImages-471548378-2048x1363-1.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" \/><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-7253790\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">NEW YORK, NY \u2013 APRIL 29: (L-R) Glennda Testone, Governor Andrew Cuomo, Charles King and Alphonso David attend a press conference to announce \u2018The Blueprint To End AIDS\u2019 in New York on April 29, 2015 in New York City. (Photo by Gary Gershoff\/Getty Images for Housing Works)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>The HRC extended David\u2019s contract for five more years on Tuesday, according to HuffPo \u2014 the same day the report was released. The organization has not responded to many requests for comment from the Daily Caller News Foundation.<\/p>\n<p>The decision to extend his contract had already been in the works and only coincidentally occurred the same day that the report came out, the publication reported. <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2021\/08\/04\/tara-reade-joe-biden-jen-psaki-metoo-andrew-cuomo\/\">(RELATED: Tara Reade Accuses Psaki Of \u2018Misleading The Public\u2019 By Saying Her Allegations Were \u2018Heavily Litigated During The Campaign\u2019)<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<div class=\"content-list-component yr-content-list-text text\" readability=\"36\">\n<p>\u201cThe Human Rights Campaign and Human Rights Campaign Foundation Boards have full confidence in Alphonso David as president of the organization,\u201d said HRC Foundation Board Chair Jodie Patterson and HRC Board of Directors Chair Morgan Cox in a joint statement, according to HuffPo.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"content-list-component yr-content-list-text text\" readability=\"40\">\n<p>\u201cIn recognition of his extraordinary leadership during extremely challenging times, we were proud to extend his contract to stay on in his role for five more years,\u201d the statement continued. \u201cFor the last two years he has been boldly leading the organization as it works to achieve its mission: full equality for all LGBTQ people, in the midst of a global pandemic, a nationwide reckoning on racial justice, and the most important presidential election of our lifetimes.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3>How Was Alphonso David Implicated?<\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>David reportedly kept confidential files \u201crelating to his investigation into and counseling\u201d of Boylan before she left the Executive Chamber, according to the report.<\/p>\n<p>The report also said that David provided these files to Cuomo senior adviser Richard Azzopardi on Dec, 11, 2020, shortly after Boylan began tweeting about Cuomo.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMr. David testified that he kept with him a copy of Ms. Boylan\u2019s files because it \u2018may have been the only instance where [he] was actually involved in a counseling of an employee when [he] was in the Executive Chamber,&#8217;\u201d the report said. <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2021\/08\/03\/times-up-now-cuomo-resign\/\">(RELATED: Time\u2019s Up Now Calls For Cuomo To \u2018Immediately\u2019 Resign)<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Cuomo senior staffer Melissa DeRosa told other staffers in a Dec. 16, 2020 text message that David had agreed to <a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2021\/08\/03\/cuomo-adviser-richard-azzopardi-lindsey-boylan\/\">sign a letter<\/a> attempting to discredit Boylan \u201cif we need him,\u201d according to the report. The report said that David had initially declined to sign the letter.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe various drafts of this letter included complaints against Ms. Boylan that were part of the Confidential Files,\u201d the investigation found. \u201cThe drafts also discussed alleged interactions between Ms. Boylan and male colleagues other than the Governor.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The report said that the letter \u201cdenied the legitimacy of Ms. Boylan\u2019s allegations, impugned her credibility, and attacked her claims as politically motivated (including with theories about connections with supporters of President Trump and a politician with an alleged interest in running for Governor).\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Cuomo\u2019s officials internally argued over the contents of the letter, and it was ultimately not published, according to the investigation.<\/p>\n<p>During Wednesday\u2019s HRC meeting, an employee reportedly asked David if he planned to \u201cissue a public apology for agreeing to sign a draft [letter] disparaging an accuser while serving as president of HRC, per the AG\u2019s report.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>David responded that he never signed the letter or agreed to sign the letter, HuffPo reported.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat I did agree to do was to talk about my personal experience at the governor\u2019s office,\u201d he said, according to the publication. \u201cBut I never agreed to sign a letter that would disparage any employee or any survivor of harassment.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>David also worked with senior Cuomo officials on a \u201cmore positive model statement\u201d from women describing positive experiences working for Cuomo and characterizing the governor as \u201cstrong tough respectful inclusive and effective,\u201d according to the report.<\/p>\n<p>Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. For licensing opportunities of our original content, please contact <a href=\"mailto:licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org\">licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Members of the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) are reportedly calling for their president to resign after an investigation by the New York attorney general\u2019s office found that he helped Andrew &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2315279,"comment_status":"close","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-613165","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/613165","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=613165"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/613165\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2315279"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=613165"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=613165"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=613165"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}