The governor’s aide, whose wedding reception is at the center of the latest sexual harassment charge against Governor Andrew Cuomo, is leaving his task force COVID-19.
Gareth Rhodes said in a statement prepared on Wednesday that he is returning to his position as deputy superintendent and special adviser to the state’s Department of Financial Services.
“Last week, when I approached a year since I moved to Albany to join the NYS Covid task force, I decided it was time, given the progress of the vaccination program and the continuing decline in Covid numbers, to return to my previous role in the Financial Services Department and I informed the senior governor team at the time, ”said the Rhodes statement.
The move came just days after Anna Ruch, 33, became the third woman to accuse Cuomo, 63, of sexual harassment.
It also happened just before Cuomo gave his first press conference since the scandal broke out last week.
Rhodes has been regularly among Cuomo government officials to join the governor in his meetings.
In a story published on Monday, Ruch told the New York Times that Cuomo approached her, grabbed her face and kissed her on the cheek after officiating the wedding of Rhodes and Alexa Kissinger in 2019, a former White House employee of the president Barack Obama.
A photo of the incident shows Cuomo towering over Ruch as he holds her head in both hands and she looks at him with apprehension inside the Toro restaurant in Manhattan.
Kissinger expressed support for Ruch, an Obama co-worker, after his revelations.
“This pattern of behavior is completely unacceptable,” tweeted Kissinger.
“I am very proud of @annaruch for sharing his story.”