Update (Dec. 14, 2021): Less than a month after the New York State Assembly Judiciary Committee found former Governor Andrew Cuomo (D-NY) used state resources and property to write, publish and promote his book, the New York Joint Commission on Public Ethics ordered him to return the $5.1 million a publisher paid him to write the book. The commission voted 12-1 in support of the move Tuesday.
The commission approved the book deal last July, after Cuomo agreed to write it “entirely on his own time.” Complaints later surfaced that state property, resources and personnel were used to prepare, write, edit and publish the book. The commission decided its approval last month.
“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,” Cuomo attorney Jim McGuire said in statement. “Should they seek to enforce this action, we’ll see them in court.”
Original Story (Nov. 22, 2021):The New York State Assembly Judiciary Committee released an in-depth, multifaceted, investigative report on former Governor Andrew Cuomo (D-NY) Monday. According to a news release from Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, the investigation looked into “allegations of sexual harassment and other sexual misconduct, the publication of former Gov. Cuomo’s October 2020 book, information provided by former Governor Cuomo and his administration regarding the effect of COVID-19 on nursing home residents and information regarding safety concerns about New York State bridges.”
“The former governor’s conduct – as shown in this report – is extremely disturbing and is indicative of someone who is not fit for office,” committee chair Charles Lavine said in the news release. “I hope this report helps New Yorkers further understand the seriousness of the allegations that have been made and serves to guide us to a more ethical and responsible government.”
First and foremost, the committee report on Cuomo concluded, “there is overwhelming evidence that the former Governor engaged in sexual harassment.” The report focused on two of the 12 accusers, a New York State Police trooper known as Trooper #1, as well as Brittany Commisso. She is believed by some to be behind the criminal complaint filed against Cuomo last month.
“The experiences of Ms. Commisso and Trooper #1 are just two examples of the inappropriate nature of the former Governor’s conduct, and each independently satisfies the definition of sexual harassment under New York State law,” the committee report on Cuomo said. “We have reviewed the former Governor’s challenges to the allegations, and nothing in his voluminous submissions can overcome the overwhelming evidence of his misconduct.”
The committee report also found that Cuomo utilized state resources and property to write, publish and promote his book “American Crisis: Leadership Lessons from the COVID-19 Pandemic”. Cuomo was guaranteed at least $5.2 million in personal profit from the book, according to the committee.
Cuomo was also found in the report to not be fully transparent regarding the number of nursing home residents who died as a result of COVID-19. Finally, the committee report found Cuomo “took steps to withhold safety information from the public regarding the Governor Mario M. Cuomo Bridge, opened the Bridge or parts of the Bridge despite potential or known safety concerns, or obstructed investigations by state agencies into those concerns.”
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