ALBANY N.Y.—Former
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo
misused state assets for private revenue when he required authorities aides to assist produce his pandemic memoir throughout work hours, in accordance with a report issued Monday by a state committee investigating doable impeachment of the previous Democratic governor.
Assemblyman
Charles Lavine,
a Lengthy Island Democrat who oversaw the investigation, mentioned the report’s findings are “extraordinarily disturbing and is indicative of somebody who just isn’t match for workplace.” Mr. Cuomo resigned from workplace in August, and leaders of the Democratic-controlled State Meeting mentioned it was unlikely the chamber would proceed with an impeachment vote.
The alleged misuse of state assets associated to the guide is the topic of an energetic felony investigation by Lawyer Basic
Letitia James.
Final week, the state’s Joint Fee on Public Ethics voted to revoke its earlier approval of Mr. Cuomo’s $5.1 million publishing contract.
A spokesman for Mr. Cuomo mentioned any use of state assets—like a printer—was incidental. He added that some public workers volunteered their time to assist write and edit the memoir.
A spokesman for Andrew Cuomo has acknowledged that some public workers volunteered their time to assist write and edit his memoir.
Picture:
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Rita Glavin,
Mr. Cuomo’s lawyer, mentioned Thursday that Ms. James’s workplace ought to recuse itself from the probe as a result of she is operating for governor and her investigative work of Mr. Cuomo is biased by political motivations. Spokespeople for Ms. James mentioned her work is above politics.
Investigators working for the Meeting’s Judiciary Committee probed a spread of alleged misdeeds by Mr. Cuomo. Along with the alleged use of state assets, the impeachment inquiry additionally concluded that high aides to the governor edited a July 2020 Well being Division report to incorporate a decrease tally of Covid-19 deaths in nursing properties.
The Meeting report says Well being Division workers pushed to make use of a fuller tally—which included deaths of nursing residence residents that occurred at hospitals—and expressed concern that the report “was not actually a scientific or medical report” however was directed by Mr. Cuomo’s employees.
Mr. Cuomo ordered the Well being Division overview amid criticism of an earlier order that mentioned nursing properties couldn’t refuse to confess a Covid-19-positive individual. The administration mentioned this coverage was essential to protect hospital capability on the top of the pandemic. Critics mentioned it exacerbated the unfold of the coronavirus in nursing properties.
State officers have mentioned that fatality information have been withheld to make sure accuracy, and the Well being Division report concluded that coronavirus first entered nursing properties by way of contaminated employees. The Meeting report didn’t problem that Well being Division’s conclusion.
The 46-page Meeting doc additionally mentioned Mr. Cuomo sexually harassed a state trooper assigned to his private protecting element and Brittany Commisso, an govt assistant who says the governor groped her breast throughout an encounter on the Govt Mansion.
Mr. Cuomo was charged final month with forcible touching in reference to that incident. He has denied touching anyone inappropriately and mentioned the investigations of his habits have been motivated by politics.
The harassment allegations have been first substantiated in an August report launched by Ms. James’s workplace. Mr. Cuomo resigned within the wake of Ms. James’s report, and as Meeting leaders publicly mentioned a timetable for impeachment hearings.
The previous governor wasn’t interviewed by Meeting investigators, Mr. Lavine mentioned.
Wealthy Azzopardi, a spokesman for Mr. Cuomo, mentioned the Meeting report was flawed as a result of it relied on Ms. James’s biased investigation of the harassment accusations.
Monday’s report consists of essentially the most intensive particulars of the way in which by which state assets have been allegedly used to organize Mr. Cuomo’s memoir, “American Disaster: Management Classes from the Covid-19 Pandemic,” which was printed in October 2020 by an imprint of Penguin Random Home.
Melissa DeRosa,
the governor’s high aide, exchanged greater than 1,000 emails with the writer, the report mentioned. The governor, high state officers and editors met on the Govt Mansion on July 24 and 25, 2020, to work on the guide, in accordance with the report. Mr. Cuomo additionally recorded the audio model of the guide on the mansion on weekdays in September 2020, the report mentioned.
Ms. DeRosa isn’t recognized by identify within the Meeting report, however fairly as a “senior Govt Chamber official.” The Meeting report says this official was praised by Mr. Cuomo in his memoir as “the quarterback of my workforce”—a phrase that the guide makes use of to explain Ms. DeRosa.
The JCOPE letter approving Mr. Cuomo’s publishing contract included a situation that, “No State property, personnel or different assets could also be utilized for actions related to the guide.”
Paul Shechtman, an legal professional for Ms. DeRosa, mentioned she took day off to work on the guide. Mr. Azzopardi mentioned officers “who volunteered to work on the guide have been folks talked about within the guide and subsequently they have been concerned to verify the representations regarding them have been correct.”
Write to Jimmy Vielkind at Jimmy.Vielkind@wsj.com
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