Ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo should return $5M profits from COVID book, critics say

Ex-Gov.Andrew Cuomo should cough up the more than $5 million he pocketed from his COVID-era memoir now that he’s seeking to become New York City mayor, one of his campaign opponents said Tuesday.City Comptroller Brad Lander, who is running in the Democratic mayoral primary, joined the chorus of critics accusing Cuomo of ghoulishly profiting off the deaths of coronavirus victims by signing the lucrative book deal during the 2020 pandemic.“In the very week when the first deaths were occurring (Cuomo) thought ‘Oh let me go write a book and get a five million dollar bag for it,'” Lander charged at a campaign event outside publisher Random Penguin House’s Midtown offices.“Andrew Cuomo has always and will always put his own power and glory over the needs of New Yorkers,” he seethed.A state ethics panel already tried to force Cuomo to return the $5.1 million in book money in 2021, saying the three-term governor violated pledges not to use state resources or government staffers to prepare his personal memoir. It came after a state Assembly Judiciary Committee report found executive staff inappropriately helped research, draft, write and edit the book during taxpayer-funded office hours — something Cuomo has denied.Cuomo tried to fight the ethics board’s order, having his attorneys claim the panel itself was unconstitutional. But a top judge ruled in February that the ethics panel was constitutional and the years-delayed investigation into Cuomo’s book proceeds could resume.Standing in front of a campaign sign, Lander opined on Cuomo’s disastrous interview with The Post editorial board Monday. “Just yesterday, when pressed by the New York Post on whether he regrets the $5 million book deal… he even doubled down and continued to play the victim saying it was really offensive and ludicrous to claim that he made a profit off the backs of New Yorkers during COVID,” Lander said.He called on Cuomo to fork over the cash to the state — and also t...