10 August 2021: Report - NY Assembly Impeachment Probe Paying Attention to Cuomo Pandemic Book Deal

NY Assembly had ‘detailed discussions’ about Cuomo book deal

The NY Assembly's judicial committee met on 9 August 2021 to review progress in its impeachment deliberations. This report indicates a substantial portion of their meeting focused on Andrew M. Cuomo's pandemic "leadership" book deal, for which Cuomo stands to pocket $5.1 million.

The New York state Assembly’s Judiciary Committee on Monday had “detailed discussions” with its outside lawyers about Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s $5.1 million book deal — and it could spell trouble for former top aide Melissa DeRosa, sources told The Post.

The committee has been probing whether Cuomo improperly used state resources to write his memoir, “American Crisis: Leadership Lessons from the COVID-19 Pandemic,” as part of its impeachment inquiry into the three-term Democrat.

“There’s no question that the lawyers have evidence about using taxpayer resources to prepare the manuscript,” a source close to the assembly probe said.

The evidence in question, according to the source, includes emails from DeRosa about “instructions she gave to the staff in the governor’s office to help with the manuscript for Cuomo’s book being pitched to publishers.”

“They clearly have evidence and interviews with staff about Melissa DeRosa instructing them to help with the manuscript,” the source said.

New York State Attorney General Letitia James began investigating the circumstances of Cuomo's book deal after NY State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli referred the matter to her office on 19 April 2021. Her office's criminal investigation is separate from the NY Assembly's own probe into the book deal.