New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo expects to be paid $5.1 million for a book published last year about his role responding to the Covid-19 pandemic, according to tax and financial disclosure documents filed on Monday.
The Democratic governor was paid $3.12 million in 2020 for “American Crisis,” which was published in October by Crown, an imprint of Penguin Random House. Mr. Cuomo is owed an additional $2 million in coming years, state officials said.
The...
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo expects to be paid $5.1 million for a book published last year about his role responding to the Covid-19 pandemic, according to tax and financial disclosure documents filed on Monday.
The Democratic governor was paid $3.12 million in 2020 for “American Crisis,” which was published in October by Crown, an imprint of Penguin Random House. Mr. Cuomo is owed an additional $2 million in coming years, state officials said.
The governor’s net income from the book in 2020 was roughly $1.5 million, according to tax returns that his aides made available for journalists to review. He donated $500,000 from the book’s proceeds to the United Way of New York State to assist with Covid relief and vaccination efforts, according to a letter from his accountant that was provided by the state.
Senior aides to the governor reviewed a draft of the book manuscript during weekend sessions at the Executive Mansion this summer and a state employee printed a copy of a manuscript using an office printer, people familiar with the matter said. Democrats who control the state Assembly are looking into the production of the book as part of an impeachment investigation of the governor’s conduct, legislators have said. The state attorney general’s office is also investigating the matter, a spokeswoman previously confirmed.
Rich Azzopardi, a senior adviser to the governor, previously said that Mr. Cuomo’s aides volunteered to work on the project and “to the extent an aide printed out a document, it appears incidental.” Mr. Azzopardi has said the inquiry by Attorney General Letitia James, a Democrat, was “just the furthering of a political pile-on.”
Republican party leaders and some Democratic lawmakers have criticized the governor for profiting from the pandemic, of which New York state was an early epicenter. More than 40,000 New York state residents have died from Covid-19 since it was first detected in the state in March 2020, state officials said.
Mr. Cuomo has said his memoir was meant to offer lessons on how to respond to the ongoing pandemic. Neither he nor Penguin Random House have previously disclosed the financial terms of his publishing contract. Representatives of Penguin Random House didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
The governor’s total income for 2020 was $3.7 million, including the book proceeds; his $217,736 state salary; $48,761 of dividends and $428,429 of capital gains, according to his tax return.
Mr. Cuomo also directed the remaining proceeds from the book into a trust fund to be split evenly for his three adult daughters. Mr. Azzopardi said the governor’s daughters “worked with the governor during this pandemic and did what he calls ‘tireless and effective work for all New Yorkers’ and gave him ‘the strength and love to make it through the crisis every day.’”
Republican State Committee Chairman Nick Langworthy said the book deal was disgusting.
“Every cent of that money and more should be donated to the families of his victims. His grotesque actions throughout this pandemic have made him a national disgrace,” Mr. Langworthy said in a statement.
In response to Republican criticism, Mr. Azzopardi said the governor “worked night and day to try to save lives and lead New York out of this crisis.”
Write to Jimmy Vielkind at Jimmy.Vielkind@wsj.com