Time’s Up leader Roberta Kaplan resigns after criticism over Gov. Cuomo ties

NEW YORK (NewsNation Now) — Time’s Up leader Roberta Kaplan resigned Monday over fallout from her work advising Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s administration when he was first hit with sexual harassment allegations last year.

Kaplan cited her work counseling Cuomo and his former top aide, Melissa DeRosa, through the attorney general’s investigation, according to The New York Times.

“I therefore have reluctantly come to the conclusion that an active law practice is no longer compatible with serving on the Board at Time’s Up at this time and I hereby resign,” Kaplan wrote in her resignation letter.

Kaplan was the chair of the Board of Directors of Time’s Up and cofounder of the Time’s Up Legal Defense Fund, which aids women who have experienced sexual harassment and discrimination in the workplace.

Last week, state Attorney General Letitia James announced an investigation into Cuomo found that he sexually harassed multiple current and former state government employees.

The nearly five-month investigation, conducted by two outside lawyers, found that the Cuomo administration was a “hostile work environment” and that it was “rife with fear and intimidation.”

Investigators spoke to 179 people over the investigation, including complainants and current and former members of the executive chamber, James said. The team also reviewed more than 74,000 pieces of evidence, including documents, emails, text messages, audio files and pictures.

Meanwhile, the Human Rights Campaign said Monday it’s launching an internal investigation over the advocacy organization’s leader Alphonso David inclusion in the attorney general’s report.

“Over the past several days, HRC’s employees, supporters, board members and partners have raised questions about the appropriateness of Alphonso David’s actions and whether they align with HRC’s decades’ long mission of fighting for equality and justice for all.”

This story is developing. Refresh for updates.