President of Human Rights Campaign Fired After Being Named in Cuomo Sexual Harassment Probe

The president of the Human Rights Campaign had earlier revealed that the organisation wanted him out in order to redirect attention away from the official's ties to the Cuomo sexual harassment report. Alarms had been raised after it was determined he was consulted in a letter to character assassinate one of Cuomo's accusers.

Alphonso David, the president of the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), was dismissed by the group's board on Monday night, after a story disclosing that he guided former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo on how to handle the sex harassment charges that surfaced, The New York Times has reported.

According to the report, in a decision that followed a joint meeting of the boards of the HRC and its linked foundation, David was discharged "for cause".

The outlet quoted a statement by the board's co-chairs, Jodie Patterson and Morgan Cox, in which they reportedly said that David's termination was "effective immediately, for violations of his contract with the Human Rights Campaign".

"Yesterday and today, Mr David released a statement that included significant untruths about the investigation and his status with the organisation", the statement read, as per the NYT. "At HRC, we are fighting to bring full equality and liberation to LGBTQ+ people everywhere. That includes fighting on behalf of all victims of sexual harassment and assault".

On Sunday, David made a statement, signalling that he would not retire from his position, even though the organisation's authorities wanted him to step down due to his involvement in the Cuomo controversy.

He claimed that it was "two funders and a small handful of employees" who expressed concern in emails, prompting a drive for him to be ousted. Officials preferred that the HRC president submit his resignation over Labor Day weekend in hopes of garnering "less media interest", according to David.

After David was mentioned in the Cuomo inquiry as having counselled the former governor about an unpublished letter produced by Cuomo officials, the organisation started an internal investigation. The letter questioned the authenticity of Lindsey Boylan, a former aide who accused Cuomo of sexual harassment in late 2020.

David's dismissal is the latest consequence of New York Attorney General Letitia James' investigation detailing allegations of sexual harassment against Cuomo and the alleged efforts by his aides to retaliate against the accusations.

Cuomo resigned in August after the report detailed 11 charges, a poisonous workplace, and his aides' attempts to defame one of the victims. The former governor denied all the allegations made against him, and in his last address described the aforementioned report as "designed to be a political firecracker on an explosive topic", adding that there was "a political and media stampede", in an apparent reference to the massive campaign urging him to resign.