New York Governor Andrew Cuomo released his tax returns Monday, and they show that the governor will be paid over $5 million for a controversial memoir he wrote about how he managed the COVID- 19 pandemic.
According to the tax returns, Cuomo was paid $3.1 million for the book in 2020, and will receive another $2 million over the next two years.
The memoir has come under criticism after it was revealed that Cuomo did not fully disclose the number of nursing home resident deaths during the pandemic, a matter that is under federal investigation.
The state’s Attorney General and an Assembly Impeachment Inquiry are also looking into allegations that Cuomo’s staff helped him write and promote the book, which would be a violation of the state’s public officers low. The governor has said staff volunteered to help with the book. And he’s denied that he or his aides hid nursing home death numbers.
The book, which sold well initially, is now out of print due to the controversies.
A Cuomo spokesperson says the governor netted $1.5 million from the book, after taxes. He donated $500,000 of his profits from the memoir to the United Way of New York State for Covid relief services. The rest of the money will be kept in a trust for his three daughters.