The president of the Human Rights Campaign, Alphonso David, was ousted by the group's board over the weekend, the latest fallout from the explosive investigation into former Governor Andrew Cuomo's sexual harassment allegations and those who enabled his misconduct.
The Human Rights Campaign, the nation's largest LGBTQ advocacy group, said that David was fired following a vote from the organization's board because “his actions have put us in an untenable position by violating HRC’s core values, policies and mission.”
David, a former legal advisor to Cuomo who joined the LGBTQ group in 2019, was found to have repeatedly consulted with the Governor's Office on efforts to discredit accusers last winter. He admitted to sharing a confidential memo about Lindsay Boylan, the first woman to publicly accuse Cuomo, which was later released to the media.
He also provided feedback on an op-ed attacking Boylan's credibility that was never published. While he declined to attach his name to the letter, David “agreed to read and convey its substance to other former employees to see if they would sign it," according to the New York Attorney General's report.
The revelations prompted calls for David to step down. An investigation led by HRC's board concluded that he had violated the group's conflict of interest policy and caused material damage to their reputation.
David has vowed to fight the decision, accusing the board of withholding the contents of the report and seeking to "resolve the matter quietly" over the holiday weekend.
In a tweet sent at midnight on Monday, David questioned the integrity and transparency of the board's review process, a strategy that Cuomo had also deployed, unsuccessfully, to undermine trust in the Attorney General's investigation.
"As a Black, gay man who spent his whole life fighting for civil and human rights, they cannot shut me up," he said. "Expect a legal challenge."
David is not the only Cuomo ally facing backlash for advising the former governor. The CEO of Time's Up, Tina Tchen, as well as the group's co-founder, Roberta Kaplan, both resigned late last month, after the report revealed their roles in helping Cuomo craft his response to the allegations.
But the group, which was founded by Hollywood women to support victims of sexual harassment and advocate for gender equality, has remained mired in scandal.
Over the weekend, the entire board of Time's Up — including Eva Longoria and Shonda Rhimes — stepped down, as the group announced plans to revamp their mission and structure.
"We see the current crisis within TIME’S UP as an important opportunity for growth and change," the statement read.
