Andrew Cuomo made more than $5m from his book, tax documents reveal

Andrew Cuomo will net more than $5m from American Crisis, the New York governor’s pandemic response book, according to tax filings released by his office on Monday.

The governor made $3.2m from the book in 2020, and is expected to be paid $2m over the next two years, according to accounting filings shared by the governor’s office.

His total net income from the book totals $1.53m after expenses and taxes in 2020. From that, he donated $500,000 to statewide vaccination and relief charities, and is giving the remainder to a trust for his three daughters in equal shares, according to the governor’s office.

The state of his finances follows investigations into the governor’s response to the public health crisis, including accusations that his office deliberately obscured the number of nursing home deaths in the state. More than 52,000 New Yorkers have died from Covid-19.

At the onset of the crisis, the governor’s briefings were hailed by national media in contrast to then-President Donald Trump’s unhinged statements and White House press conferences, but the attention often masked the scope of the state’s crisis.

In his book, Mr Cuomo said the state showed how the coronavirus is “confronted and defeated” despite the state having one of the highest rates of deaths and hospitalisations in the US.

State officials have also asked New York Attorney General Letitia James to investigate whether the governor’s staff helped with the book.

The Attorney General and the State Assemble’s Judiciary Committee are also pursuing parallel investigations and a majority of New York’s congressional delegation – including Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer – have urged the governor to step down following sexual harassment allegations by former aides, among others.

Mr Cuomo has repeatedly denied wrongdoing and rejected calls to resign.

“The facts about this entire situation that has been, I think, distorted in the press and manipulated, and when the time is right, I will tell you the truth and the facts and I am very much looking forward to it,” he told reporters at a briefing on Monday following questions about whether he has had sexual relationships with state workers.

Beginning on Wednesday, New York will adopt the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s latest mask guidance, which provides that people who are vaccinated from Covid-19 no longer need to be masked outdoors or indoors in most cases.

Most capacity restrictions for restaurants, retailers and museums will be lifted this week, and indoor and outdoor gathering capacities will expand.

Nearly 62 per cent of New York adults have received at least one vaccine dose, and more than 52 per cent of residents are fully vaccinated, the governor announced on Monday.