Why was Alphonso David fired? HRC's first Black prez caught in Andrew Cuomo scandal
New York's now-disgraced former Governor Andrew Cuomo may have vacated office, but the fallout from his controversial tenure continues. On September 6, the Human Rights Council (HRC), the nation's largest LGBT advocacy group announced it was firing President Alphonso David "effective immediately". The dramatic firing came hours after David's rebuttal to an investigation that stemmed from being named in Attorney General Letitia James' report into Cuomo's scandal.
Cuomo's scandal has ripped through City Hall, bringing to an end his once-popular career. Despite leaving in disgrace, Cuomo will still collect his $50,000 plus pension each year, as we earlier reported. The scandal has not just tainted the Cuomo family name, but also ended the careers of some of his closest allies. In early August, we reported on the criticism against Melissa DeRosa, after it emerged she attempted to suppress the scandal.
RELATED ARTICLES
Did Andrew Cuomo hire women for their looks? Ex-aide Karen Hinton drops bombshell allegation
Who is Judith Mogul? Andrew Cuomo's lawyer to resign after sexual misconduct allegation
On August 10, Time's Up Legal Defense Fund co-founder Roberta Kaplan was forced to resign, after her ties to Cuomo became public. It emerged that Kaplan served as Cuomo's counselor, and helped draft a letter to refute claims made by one of Cuomo's accusers. Now, David is also facing heat for his association with the ex-Governor but isn't taking it lying down. Instead, it has boiled over into a major storm, with David refusing to move, and now threatening legal action.
HRC's first Black President fired for ties to Cuomo
David, who happens to be the HRC's first Black President, also served as counsel to Cuomo back in September 2018. His name was mentioned in the AG's report, tied to the claims of harassment by Lindsay Boylan, who was also working for the state government at the time. Reportedly, David was asked to put together a personnel file on Boylan, after several complaints of bullying against her.
That dossier eventually led to Boylan's resignation but came back to haunt the Cuomo govt. in December 2020 after Boylan went public, DeRosa then asked David for the file, which was sent by Cuomo's communications directors to the press in response to the allegations. But at that time, David was no longer working for Cuomo, he had resigned in 2019. As a former employee, David did not have to respond to DeRosa's request, but having done so appears to have put him in conflict with the HRC.
"Mr. David engaged in a number of activities in December 2020, while HRC President, to assist Governor Cuomo’s team in responding to allegations by Ms. Boylan of sexual harassment. This conduct in assisting Governor Cuomo’s team, while president of HRC, was in violation of HRC’s Conflict of Interest policy and the mission of HR," the group said in a statement. By September 5, David was under immense pressure to step down but refused. "They didn't offer a shred of evidence of wrongdoing," David said in a statement posted to Twitter.
Please read: Follow-Up Statement from Alphonso David, President of the Human Rights Campaign pic.twitter.com/nPyZk1M1de
— Alphonso David (@AlphonsoDavid) September 6, 2021
David alleges investigation incomplete
At the heart of the battle between the HRC and David is the Sidley Austin report, an internal investigation by HRC into his link with Cuomo. The investigation was launched after the AG's report when public, naming David. The investigation is not yet complete as the HRC themselves admitted in a company-wide email. "That investigation will soon be completed, and the Boards will then have more to say," the email said.
David used that admission to slam the HRC for asking him to step aside. "Why would they have pressured me to resign before it was complete and before they had any findings?" he asked. He also alleged that the board told him the investigation was complete on September 3, but that the HRC would not be sharing it with him. "Their statements have been so contradictory... we're all left wondering whether this whole process was preordained from the start," he added.
In response, the HRC has accused David of mischaracterizing the investigation, saying, "We were very surprised and disappointed by the inaccuracies in his portrayal of events." Nonetheless, the group has gone ahead and scrubbed David's name from its website. It has also announced David's termination "with immediate effect". It's unclear if the group will release the report, as David requested. But he's clearly not going away silently. "Expect a legal challenge", he said in a message shared on Twitter hours after the firing was announced.