ALBANY, NY – The New York State Comptroller has issued a referral authorizing the Attorney General to begin a possible criminal investigation into the government of Andrew M. Cuomo’s use of state resources in connection with his latest book.
The possible investigation follows a report by The New York Times on March 31 and subsequent coverage in other publications outlining how junior staff and senior assistants worked on ‘American Crisis: Leadership Lessons from the Covid-19 Pandemic’, the governor’s dramatic version of the fight against the virus.
The Office of the Attorney General, Letitia James, had no immediate comment on the letter from the governor, although such a reference would in most cases cause an investigation.
The governor, a third-term Democrat, insisted that any work done by government officials on the book be voluntary, so some minor work might have been ‘accidental’.
But Thomas P. DiNapoli, the Democratic state governor, suggested that a possible criminal investigation was justified after allegations surfaced that ‘public sources may have been used in the development of the governor’s book’.
The potential investigation will focus on an ‘uncredible offense or offense’ relating to, but not limited to, ‘compiling, editing, selling and promoting the Governor’s book and any related financial or business transactions’, according to a letter from April 13 what mr. DiNapoli is to me. James sent.
The formal letter of reference – which meets a technical prerequisite for the Attorney General to initiate a possible criminal investigation – gives Ms. James, a Democrat, the power to prosecute ‘any crime or offense arising from such investigation’.
Mr. Cuomo reiterated Monday that some staff members have volunteered for the book, and that some are also being asked to review sections they mention. His office has no immediate comment on Mr. DiNapoli did not have.
The state’s civil service law, which governs the ethics of elected officials and civil servants, prohibits the use of ‘property, services or other resources of the state for private business or other non-governmental purposes that are remunerated’.
The misuse of public resources has led to the downfall of numerous political figures, including a former state inspector, Alan G. Hevesi, who resigned in 2006 and pleaded guilty to a crime after using a state administrator to seduce his wife. to perform commands.
The possible investigation would exacerbate the legal and political woes that Mr. Cuomo faces his once-rising career as he faces separate scandals over his personal and professional conduct, including a federal investigation into his handling of the state’s nursing homes during the pandemic.
Me. James is already overseeing an investigation into several allegations of sexual harassment against the governor.
Most of the state congressional delegation, and many of its fellow Democrats in Albany, have appealed to Mr. Cuomo done to resign. He steadfastly resisted and temporarily pleaded while James’ investigation into the allegations of sexual harassment was completed.
The state assembly has opened a separate investigation into the allegations, as well as the administration to withhold a full version of the death toll among nursing residents. The chairman of the Judiciary Committee of the Assembly, Charles D. Lavine, said that investigators appointed by his committee – the private firm of Davis Polk – would also investigate the book trade and the use of state resources.
‘American Crisis’, released by Crown Publishing Group in mid-October, just as a second wave of coronavirus began to swell in New York, saw its sales during the governor’s political run. Mr. Cuomo, 63, declined to say how much he was paid for the manuscript, but people familiar with the book’s bidding process said at least one bid was worth more than $ 4 million.
Mr. Cuomo, whose previous memoirs sold poorly when it was published in 2014, began writing about the middle of the American crisis as early as mid-June, when the death toll from the state was already tens of thousands. He regularly dictated passages in a cell phone, which were later printed and edited by staff members, according to several current and former assistants and documents obtained by the Times.
The governor’s work and the saving of the book also coincide with a period in which his eldest assistants recreated a report on deaths in old age homes, leaving out the full death toll in a way that the governor might have criticized the matter. would have isolated.
New York is still one of the hardest hit countries in the country, with so far more than 51,000 deaths related to Covid.
A poll by Siena College on Monday found that the number of voters with a favorable view of the governor had dropped to 40 percent, a decrease of 16 points from February and the lowest point of its decade long term. But 51 percent also said the governor should not “resign immediately,” according to previous polls, while 37 percent said he should.
There were also indications that Mr. Cuomo’s prospects for a fourth term were in jeopardy. Only 33 percent of respondents said they would vote in 2022 to re-elect him; 57 said they ‘prefer someone else’.
The poll among 801 New York registered voters was conducted from April 1 to 15 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.5 percentage points.
Danny Hakim reported.