How Facebook Helped Gov. Cuomo Retaliate Against A Sexual Harassment Accuser

A Facebook executive helped New York Governor Andrew Cuomo in his crusade to discredit sexual harassment accuser Lindsey Boylan, according to the state’s attorney general’s investigation.

Former Cuomo staffer Dani Lever worked for the governor from 2014 to August 2020, when she became a communications manager at the social media giant, but still managed to play a central role in his press strategy while she was employed at Facebook.

When former staffer Boylan was the first victim to accuse Cuomo of sexual harassment in December 2020, Lever became one of the governor’s “team of advisors” who strategized how to respond to the allegations publicly.

Cuomo’s current communications Rich Azzopardi sent Boylan’s confidential personnel files to journalists in what the investigation concluded was an attempt to “discredit and disparage” her. Lever helped current staffers disseminate the files and “coordinated with some of the reporters who received the documents to let them know that the Executive Chamber would be sending them.” 

In February, Lever signed a statement disputing Boylan’s accusation that Cuomo suggested they play “strip poker” on a private jet in 2017.  “We were on each of these October flights and this conversation did not happen,” Lever said in a joint statement with other aides.

She reportedly also participated in at least one conference call with staffers to discuss communications strategy and was copied on internal emails.  

Lever and Facebook have declined to answer if she had the social media platform’s permission to work for Cuomo while she was under their employ.

Marie Finn