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The Joint Commission on Public Ethics (JCOPE) has voted to require Cuomo to return proceeds from his book “American Crisis,” for which he was paid more than $5 million by his publisher.
Cuomo has come under fire for “American Crisis,” first for penning it during the peak of the pandemic when the state was struggling, and later when it was determined by the New York Assembly that he misused state resources to write it.
JCOPE rescinded its approval after concluding that Cuomo violated pledges not to use state resources or government staffers to prepare the book.
The vote on Tuesday, Dec. 14 wasn’t close, with its members approving the measure by a 12 to 1 margin.
Cuomo will have no more than 30 days to make payment to New York Attorney General Letitia James’ office “an amount equal to the compensation paid to him for his outside activities related to the book.”
However, despite JCOPE’s ruling, an attorney for Cuomo said that he would be willing to take them to court if they attempt to enforce the order.
“JCOPE’s actions today are unconstitutional, exceed its own authority, and appear to be driven by political interests rather than the facts of the law,” attorney Jim McGuire said in a statement. “Should they seek to enforce this action, we’ll see them in court."
In total, Cuomo was set to receive a total of $5.1 million under the contract with his publisher. He previously said that he put $1 million of the book proceeds into a blind trust for his daughters, while $500,000 was donated to the United Way in the Capital Region by the former governor.
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