Time’s Up leader resigns over ties to Cuomo

Time’s Up leader Roberta Kaplan has resigned from her position as chair of the organization dedicated to helping victims of sexual harassment after a report from the New York attorney general’s office named her as one of several prominent figures involved in efforts to discredit an accuser of New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D).

“Unfortunately, recent events have made it clear that even our apparent allies in the fight to advance women can turn out to be abusers,” Kaplan said in a resignation letter first reported by The New York Times.

“We have felt the raw, personal and profound pain of that betrayal,” she added.

Kaplan said she could not talk about the specifics of the situation with Cuomo as reported by the attorney general’s report because of her work as a lawyer, saying she could not meet the demands for transparency now demanded for her firm because of ethical considerations related to the work.

“I therefore have reluctantly come to the conclusion that an active litigation practice is no longer compatible with serving on the Board at Times Up at this time and I hereby resign,” Kaplan wrote.

In a statement to The Hill, Time’s Up confirmed Kaplan’s resignation as the organization chair, saying that they will hold themselves “accountable” in this incident, knowing that their work may result “in the lack of trust” in the survivor’s community’s that they serve. 

“We hold ourselves accountable. The events of the last week have made it clear that our process should be evaluated and we intend to do just that,” Time’s Up said in their statement. “We need more transparency about our vision of change-making, and we need a more inclusive process to engage the broader survivor community, many of whom have spent years doing the noble work of fighting for women.”

The attorney general’s report found Cuomo sexually harassed multiple women, and the governor has since lost even more support from Democrats and is facing new calls for his resignation. He also faces impeachment by New York’s assembly. 

The report also detailed how a number of Cuomo allies were enlisted by the governor’s office to try to help Cuomo. 

Kaplan, who created Time’s Up in the wake of sexual assault allegations against Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein, is also journalist E. Jean Carroll’s attorney in her defamation lawsuit case against former President Trump.

The report from the attorney general’s office found Kaplan was one of a number of people who reviewed a letter discrediting Lindsey Boylan, an ex-aide who publicly accused the governor of harassment. The letter was never published, but has led to bad headlines for a number of people who were consulted on it, including Kaplan; Alphonso David, the head of the Human Rights Campaign; and Tina Tchen, the chief executive of Time’s Up.