The attorney for the former New York governor, Andrew Cuomo, said he would fight the Joint Commission’s requests on Public Ethics to profit from the American Crisis: Leadership Lessons from the COVID-19 Pandemic.
Richard Drew / AP
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Richard Drew / AP
The attorney for the former New York governor, Andrew Cuomo, said he would fight the Joint Commission’s requests on Public Ethics to profit from the American Crisis: Leadership Lessons from the COVID-19 Pandemic.
Richard Drew / AP
When former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo began writing his latest memoir, he promised it would have nothing to do with his strides as head of state. He also pledged to write it on his own time and not exploit any of the vast resources of the state.
But New York’s Joint Commission on Public Ethics says that’s not at all what happened, and on Tuesday the committee voted overwhelmingly to ask Cuomo to transfer the proceeds from the book of 2020, American Crisis: Leadership Lessons from the COVID-19 Pandemic. Cuomo’s book deal is said to be worth more than $5 million.
Members voted 12 to 1, spokesman Walter McClure told NPR.
The resolution states Cuomo has 30 days to return “an amount equivalent to the compensation paid to him” for the memoir. And, if he fails to pay in a timely manner, “execution of that order will be referred to the Attorney General.”
Meanwhile, Cuomo’s attorney has vowed to fight the ethics committee’s collection requests.
“Today’s JCOPE actions are unconstitutional, exceed its own authority, and appear to be motivated by political interests rather than facts and the law,” said Jim McGuire, an attorney for the lost governor. grace said in a statement. “If they seek to enforce this action, we will see them in court.”
The book sale was overseen by the Attorney General’s Office following the first allegation that Cuomo improperly used state resources on the project, following reports that several aides and staff His head took part in the fact-checking sessions at the Governor’s Mansion in Albany.
In November, The ethics committee has ruled that he violated the terms of the agreement and revoked their consent. They determined that the governor used state assets as well as staff and volunteer staff in the preparation and writing of the book. They also said the published book did not comply with the terms for which he sought their approval; Cuomo’s memoir was originally supposed to cover his life in politics, but instead it was “basically related to his job responsibilities.”
According to the committee, Cuomo also misrepresented his position in the writing and sale of the book when he first approached JCOPE for approval. In his application for approval, Cuomo said he is “looking for a book author in the very near future.” But in reality, “The book was completed or substantially completed prior to the release of the Conditional Letter of Approval,” the committee said. In addition, Cuomo also hid information that he had completed the financial and payment terms of the book deal he negotiated.
Cuomo at first it was a mess about the amount he was paid to him by Crown Publishing Group, an affiliate of Random House, saying he would disclose the amount in his annual financial disclosure forms. Based on New York Times, he had a deal to pay just over $5.1 million in total, including an initial payment of $3.12 million in 2020.
After taxes and fees, Democracy & Chronicles Reportedly, Cuomo’s net income was around $1.5 million last year. And most of it is gone. The newspaper reported that Cuomo had donated $500,000 to United Way and “put the remaining $1 million in a trust for his daughters, according to documents provided by his office.”
It is unclear how JCOPE plans to recover that money.
