Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo ordered to pay state $5 million for book deal

A New York state ethics commission on Tuesday ordered disgraced former Gov. Andrew Cuomo to repay more than $5 million he received to write a book about his handling of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Cuomo’s lawyer immediately vowed to fight the demand for repayment.

The order comes a month after the state Joint Commission on Public Ethics took the initial step of rescinding its approval for Cuomo to write the book “American Crisis: Leadership Lessons from the Covid-19 Pandemic.”

Among other reasons for reversing the approval, JCOPE cited misleading claims by Cuomo’s lawyer that no New York government employees would help to write the book.

In fact, investigators have found that government workers were aiding Cuomo with the project at the time his lawyer made the promise last year.

“Contrary to the representations made on behalf of Governor Cuomo, and disclosed to the commission, state property, resources and personnel, including staff volunteers, were used in connection with the preparation, writing, editing and publication of the book,” JCOPE said in a resolution last month.

The board also cited the fact that the book contract had been withheld from JCOPE before approval was issued.

In a statement Tuesday, Cuomo’s lawyer Jim McGuire said, “JCOPE’s actions today are unconstitutional, exceed its own authority and appear to be driven by political interests rather than the facts and the law.”

“Should they seek to enforce this action, we’ll see them in court,” McGuire added.

JCOPE’s order to Cuomo to repay the money is complicated by questions of whether the ethics panel has the power to make such a demand. It is also complicated by the fact that, according to Cuomo’s spokesman, he has donated $500,000 from his book payment to the United Way of New York State and put $1 million from the compensation into a trust for his three daughters.

Cuomo resigned in August in the face of a scathing report from the state attorney general’s office, which concluded that the three-term Democrat sexually harassed nearly a dozen women and that his staff engaged in efforts to try to smear a number of accusers.

Cuomo has denied any wrongdoing but faces several criminal investigations for his alleged actions.

The former governor set a book deal in 2020 with an imprint of publisher Penguin Random House. At the time, he was being widely praised for his management of the Covid outbreak in New York state.

His handling of the crisis has since become viewed less favorably, particularly after disclosures that his administration covered up data about deaths of nursing home residents from Covid.

Last week, a division of HarperCollins Publishers canceled plans to publish a book by Cuomo’s younger brother Chris Cuomo, titled “Deep Denial,” next year.

CNN earlier this month fired Chris Cuomo as the host of a prime-time show on the cable news network after documents released by Attorney General Letitia James revealed that in discussions with Andrew Cuomo’s staff, he shared and discussed passing along negative information about women who had accused his brother of harassment.

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[rickhenson]

Give it to the victims from the nursing home, and the ones he assaulted.

[skepticalobserver]

Why to the state?? What about his ABUSE VICTIMS????

[skullcandy]

How do you take these reporters serious, when they were practically blowing this creep not long ago. Gotta love those feelings over facts!

[paulettebarrow]

Why should it go to the state it should be going to people her hurt or families of people he killed

[frankmarullo]

Good he should pay it back with INTEREST

[lifewitariez_.]

Damn wasnt that 2 months ago and hes already been ordered to pay money?? Damn! justice work fast as hell on everybody esle in the US once theyre out of office 😂😂

[billdobbins]

When you are a Democrat hero murder and felonies move you up the ladder

[oldmanretro]

I cry sometimes because my hemorrhoid’s are flaring

[soundfriend]

Let's pray that truth overtakes all lies and that evil and evil doers are exposed and brought to justice, thank you and God Bless !

[larrymosher]

The Wheel of Shame, keeps coming up Cuomo.Who next, will it land on.

[Cha-y]

NBC-- that is your Emmy winning hero you are talking about.

[JosephHuver]

His attorneys statement sounds like he was talking about the NYS SAFE act

[vicrattlehead]

A cuomo can't catch a break these days.

[wildlifebabe]

Why would anyone buy that weirdos book in the first place? He’s always seemed sketch to me.

[em-performance]

It just keeps getting worse for this sucker and his brother that this media was so in love with just this past year. maybe that money can go to good use, or just another NY politician's pocket.

[extrasolar]

predator cuomo the elder: yo, this is da life weve chosen. i took some heat for the clinton clubhouse, and resigned syndicate control. i even offered some condolences to those old infected people that inconvenienced me. they wont be sleepin on any floatin hospitals now will they. i gave the lectures, i wrote the contracts, i keep da money.

[charlizemazta]

Omg, I can only imagine the spin on this if it was someone from the right. This was very standard, neutal and very veryshort. It hurts them to report on it😅

[ParisVan-Del]

The commission cannot actually think his mental works & properly belongs to the state?!
If that's the case all former Govs. Of NY must conceded their earnings from their books sells.
I know he may be guilty of not being man of good standards in his actions with women in the office and party functions. However, this committee is being extremely political.

[tubeyou]

i wonder how "top stories" are picked... doesn't appear to be based on view count since this one had 1.5k views. wonder if they are cherry picked by some bozo

[Joe-lizj]

XDDD They pick all the worst looking pictures of him now that he is “disgraced”