Former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo is asked to repay the state for his $5 million earnings from the book about the fight against the Corona virus and his memoirs, as he uses public resources for his personal benefit.
Former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, who resigned from his post after the investigation launched against him on the grounds that he sexually abused 11 different women, released his book “American Crisis: Leadership Lessons in the COVID-19 Epidemic”, which describes the struggle against the Corona virus and his memories.
The book sold more than expected as Andrew Cuomo became a popular political figure nationwide in the fight against the epidemic. The former Governor of New York made over $5 million in book sales. However, after his resignation, eyes were turned to whether the state used public resources in the publication of his book, apart from the allegations of sexual harassment.
The New York State Ethics Committee, which Cuomo signed and implemented his decision 10 years ago and started an investigation on the issue, announced its decision months later. The Ethics Committee, by a vote of 12 to 1, found Cuomo guilty of using public resources for his own personal gain. The board decided that the former governor’s $ 5 million 100 thousand revenue from the sale of the book should be repaid to the state.
Cuomo’s lawyer Jim McGuire, in a statement after the decision, stated that the actions of the New York State Ethics Committee are unconstitutional and that they are guided by political interest groups rather than the law, and announced that they will file a lawsuit against the decision.
His spokesman, Rich Azzopardi, said that Cuomo donated $500,000 to charities in April from the profits he made from the book. It is not yet clear how the donation will affect the $5 million 100,000 repayment to the state.