The head of the State University of New York announced his resignation on Thursday after new documents showed he used profane language about a former aide to New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

The resignation of James Malatras, chancellor of the SUNY system, follows public calls for his ouster amid revelations contained in a document dump from New York Attorney General Letitia James. Malatras encouraged Lindsey Boylan, the first of several women to accuse Cuomo of sexual impropriety, to "go f*** yourself" in 2019, evidence showed.

"Recent events surrounding me over the past week have become a distraction over the important work that needs to be accomplished," Malatras said in a Thursday statement announcing his resignation. "I believe deeply in SUNY and would never want to be an impediment to its success."

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The SUNY Board of Trustees accepted Malatras's resignation and thanked him for his "dedication and leadership."

When Malatras's private communications became public on Nov. 29, he said he was not proud of the language he used, CBS6 Albany reported. He faced backlash and calls for Gov. Kathy Hochul to fire him, but he remained in his post as SUNY's Board of Trustees signaled support for Malatras, saying the chancellor acknowledged his mistake.

"Dr. Jim Malatras has been an outstanding leader of SUNY through one of the most trying times in our history and has the support of the SUNY Board of Trustees. He's acknowledged he made a mistake, taken full responsibility for it, and apologized appropriately. ... We have challenging days ahead and believe Jim Malatras, as Chancellor of the State University of New York, remains the right leader to help us meet that challenge," the board said on Dec. 3.


Malatras, who served as the director of state operations under Cuomo until 2017, publicly tweeted a statement at the time casting doubt on Boylan's criticisms of the Cuomo administration.

In his private communication, he liked several text messages disparaging Boylan, who worked for Cuomo from 2015 to 2018 as a deputy secretary for economic development, and made profane statements against her, according to documents released by James's office. At one point, he suggested they should "release some of her cray emails."


Since Cuomo stepped down from office on Aug. 24 amid a flurry of sexual harassment allegations, which he denies, several of his allies in government, such as the state's inspector general and health commissioner, as well as in the private sector, including the CEO and chairwoman of Time's Up Now and the Time's Up Foundation, have vacated their positions amid allegations they shielded Cuomo from scrutiny.

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Cuomo's brother, Chris Cuomo, was also removed from his position as a CNN anchor on Saturday, with the network saying that "new information ... came to light about his involvement with his brother's defense" as the then-governor faced mounting scandals. Chris Cuomo, who has signaled an intent to sue his former employer for the remainder of his contract, called his ouster "disappointing," saying he already told the public "why and how [he] helped [his] brother."

In October, Andrew Cuomo was charged with forcible touching regarding an incident that allegedly occurred at the executive mansion, which he maintained "never" happened in recent testimony. The former governor is expected to appear in court on Jan. 7.