State University of New York Chancellor Jim Malatras on Tuesday told reporters he has no plans to step down from the role he was appointed to by former Gov. Andrew Cuomo as investigations have cast more light on the role he played in the governor's inner circle. 

"I'm going to continue to do my work at SUNY as long as I can because there's a lot of work to be done," Malatras said after testifying to lawmakers at a higher education committee meeting in Albany. "I'm really proud of everything I've done in government."

Transcripts and supporting documentation released by Attorney General Letitia James included an email from Malatras in which he was critical of Lindsey Boylan, a staffer who would later accuse Cuomo of sexual harassment. Boylan at the time was knocking the Cuomo administration for having a toxic work environment. 

In an text message chain with other Cuomo aides, Malatras suggests releasing some of Boylan's "cray emails" and used a swear word -- "Malatras to Boylan: Go f -- yourself." 

"I've had strong disagreements with colleagues in the past," Malatras on Tuesday said. "This exchange from two-and-a-half years was one of those times."

Boylan was one of 11 women included in a report released in August by the attorney general's office detailing allegations of sexual harassment and misconduct by Cuomo, who resigned Aug. 24. 

Cuomo aides last year after Boylan's initial harassment claims leaked the details of her departure from the administration to the media, including complaints by those who worked in Boylan's office. 

Malatras has been a key advisor to Cuomo over the years, serving as the director of state operations and was later appointed to the SUNY chancellorship in 2020 as the pandemic was bringing mounting challenges to the state university system. 

A state Assembly report released this month following a lengthy investigation provided more details on how Cuomo used state resources to help him write a book about the pandemic, which was part of a $5.1 million contract. Malatras had helped Cuomo with the book, and Malatras has said he volunteered his time to help with it. 

But other aides in the governor's office have refuted claims made by Cuomo's team they had volunteered their time to work on the book, calling it a central focus of the governor's office at the time. 

Malatras also helped with the production of a report in July 2020 seeking to refute allegations of how nursing home residents died during the pandemic and whether a hospital discharge order was at fault. How the state reported fatalities of residents is being investigated by federal prosecutors in Brooklyn.

"I'm proud of all my work in my long career in government," Malatras said. "I've been a dedicated public servant for many, many decades either in the Legislature, or the governor's office or the SUNY system."