Gov. Cuomo's former top aide tells all: 'I lived it'
NEW YORK CITY - Melissa DeRosa was the top aide to former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, the highest unelected position in state government.
She was front and center during the COVID pandemic, dealt with high-profile names from Donald Trump to Joe Biden, and the #MeToo tsunami that took down her boss.
She's talking about all of it in her new memoir, which is out now, called "What's Left Unsaid: My Life at the Center of Power, Politics & Crisis." She joined Good Day New York Wednesday to discuss some of those topics.
Why did she write the book?
"I wrote this book because, for a very simple reason, the governor resigns, the administration comes to a crash and halt, and as soon as we were out of office, I said to myself, ‘I’m not gonna allow this first draft of history to stand,'" she said.
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DeRosa continued to say that the "first draft of history" is written by reporters in the moment, saying a lot of what was being reported was "being done based on sources who weren't in the room, based on people with particular motivations."
DeRosa said to herself that she had a responsibility to tell the truth.
Would she have done things differently with nursing homes?
"20/20 vision, if I could go back, there's so much I would do differently."
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DeRosa said they were unprepared for the COVID pandemic at every level, referencing Dr. Anthony Fauci saying in a Jan. 26 interview that COVID "is not something the public needs to be worried about."
DeRosa mentioned in her book that people need to understand how decisions were made – and why they were made – so the next time they learn the lesson and are better prepared.
How does she feel about Lindsey Boylan?
"Lindsey Boylan, from day one, and she was the driver of this, she was the driver that untimely took down the governor in the MeToo sort of stampede," DeRosa said.
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DeRosa explained that Boylan was "out publicly lying about the terms in which she left the office."
Does Gov. Cuomo run again?
"That's a question for him."