Andrew Cuomo

Top Cuomo Aide Denies Romantic Kiss With Governor, Trades Accusations With Alleged Victim

Melissa DeRosa alleged that the lawyer for Trooper 1 "emailed to say she would sue me if I didn’t pay her off privately," a claim that the lawyer blasted as false and said was retaliation against the trooper for accusing Cuomo of sexual harassment

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An unexpected twist in the sexual misconduct allegations against former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo came Friday, as one of his closest aides alleged a state trooper extorted her for money — a claim the trooper's lawyer blasted as "false."

Former top Cuomo aide Melissa DeRosa took to Twitter Friday afternoon to go after a female state trooper who testified under oath she heard from another trooper that the 63-year-old Cuomo and 39-year-old aide were kissing like schoolkids on a public sidewalk.

"I had heard from Senior Investigator #1 that once he witnessed the Governor and Senior Staffer #1 like making out on the sidewalk like they were high schoolers ... again, he told me this. I didn't witness this. I wasn't even here at the time. But that's what I had heard," the trooper's sworn testimony reads.

The trooper who testified is the same one said the then-governor recruited her into his security detail and ran his hand across her stomach.

The governor and Trooper 1, who Cuomo recruited to be a part of his security detail and is one of the 11 women accusing him of sexual harassment

DeRosa responded to the claims on Twitter, calling them "ludicrous."

"As a young woman who has worked at the highest levels of government and politics, I'm used to other people making up and spreading rumors about me. However, it's absolutely beyond the pale for this trooper, who by her own admission I barely knew — who has already attempted to extort me for money — to make these accusations based on false rumors and for them to be printed in a newspaper. Not only is this ludicrous, it's hurtful, and potentially actionable," DeRosa wrote.

She followed up by detailing what she claimed were attempts to extort her for money.

"Roughly 1 month ago, trooper #1’s lawyer emailed to say she would sue me if I didn’t pay her off privately — this despite the fact that she said we only ever said 'hi' and 'goodbye' I refused to pay her. Now, this," DeRosa wrote in a follow-up tweet.

She also shared what appeared to be part of the testimony transcript in which the trooper said she "for the most part" only exchanged greetings with DeRosa, along with part of a letter from the trooper's attorney, Valdi Licul.

"As one of the Governor's victims, Trooper 1 is prepared to initiate litigation to vindicate her rights, including bringing claims against Ms. DeRosa, who aided and abetted his unlawful conduct in violation of local laws. If your client would like to discuss a potential amicable resolution of this matter, please contact me on or before October 4, 2021," the portion of the letter read.

"Pretty straight forward — my client only ever said hello and goodbye to you, but you should pay her or be sued," De Rosa added in a subsequent tweet.

Licul blasted DeRosa's accusatory tweets, saying in a statement that "the investigative report and our client's testimony speak for themselves. It is unfortunate that Ms. DeRosa has chosen to retaliate against a victim of sexual harassment by falsely accusing her of extortion."

Cuomo has denied under oath ever having an affair with any staffer and continues to deny any wrongdoing. The former governor and his advisers have continued their efforts to discredit the report by New York Attorney General Letitia James detailing the allegations of 11 women who said they were harassed by Cuomo. A spokesman for Cuomo has called the report a "hit job."

James — who said Thursday that it was past time Cuomo come clean and own up to his alleged wrongdoing — issued no comment Friday about the newly released testimony.

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