{"id":387639,"date":"2021-12-30T05:29:14","date_gmt":"2021-12-30T02:29:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/ny-ethics-chief-urges-ag-james-to-claw-back-cuomo-book-profits\/"},"modified":"2021-12-30T05:29:14","modified_gmt":"2021-12-30T02:29:14","slug":"ny-ethics-chief-urges-ag-james-to-claw-back-cuomo-book-profits","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/ny-ethics-chief-urges-ag-james-to-claw-back-cuomo-book-profits\/","title":{"rendered":"#NY ethics chief urges AG James to claw back Cuomo book profits"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;<strong>#NY ethics chief urges AG James to claw back Cuomo book profits<\/strong>&#8221;<\/p>\n<div>\n<aside class=\"single__inline-module alignleft\">\n<\/aside>\n<p>The head of the state\u2019s watchdog agency urged state Attorney <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/general\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"3\" title=\"General\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">General<\/a> Letitia James Wednesday to enforce its order to claw back $5.1 million in book profits from disgraced ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo.<\/p>\n<p>Jose Nieves, chairman of the Joint Commission on Public Ethics, sent a letter to the AG\u2019s General Counsel, Larry Schimmel, claiming James can legally enforce JCOPE\u2019s order for Cuomo to return the book profits for his COVID memoir after violating an agreement not to use state resources \u2014 including government workers \u2014 to prepare it.<\/p>\n<p>Schimmel previously rejected JCOPE\u2019s order as illegal, saying the AG\u2019s office could not enforce such an order without the ethics agency first conducting a full-blown probe and submitting findings of wrongdoing against Cuomo under the Public Officers Law.<\/p>\n<p>Nieves responded in the letter. He said facts are clear as day that Cuomo violated the agreement and put the issue back in James\u2019 court.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/12\/cuomo-ethics-profits-765.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1024\" alt=\"Jose Nieves, chairman of the Joint Commission on Public Ethics speaks at a forum.\" class=\"wp-image-20657285\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/12\/cuomo-ethics-profits-765.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1535 1536w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/12\/cuomo-ethics-profits-765.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/12\/cuomo-ethics-profits-765.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=512 512w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption>Nieves said the facts that Cuomo violated the agreement were clear, and urged James to enforce a punishment.<\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">AP Photo\/Mary Altaffer<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cThe Commission is empowered and required to deny or revoke any authorization or <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>roval sought or obtained by a state official, and to order corrective action where, as here, material misrepresentations have been made\u2026.,\u201d Nieves said in the letter, a copy of which was obtained by The Post.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere is no requirement that a substantial basis investigation be carried out in any or all circumstances as predicate to commission action in response to clearly established conditions imposed in regard to engagement in outside activities.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>JCOPE \u2014 for years accused of stonewalling or killing probes into powerful state officials include those close to Cuomo \u2014 approved a resolution on December 14 ordering Cuomo to return the proceeds from his book, \u201cAmerican Crisis: Leadership Lessons from the COVID-19 Pandemic,\u201d written while he was still governor and New York was in the throes of the deadly coronavirus outbreak.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/12\/cuomo-ethics-profits-769.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1024\" alt=\"Letitia James at a press conference.\" class=\"wp-image-20657292\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/12\/cuomo-ethics-profits-769.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1535 1536w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/12\/cuomo-ethics-profits-769.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/12\/cuomo-ethics-profits-769.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=512 512w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption>James and her General Counsel, Larry Schimmel, previously rejected JCOPE\u2019s order as illegal, saying the AG\u2019s office could not enforce such an order without the ethics agency first conducting a full-blown probe and submitting findings of wrongdoing against Cuomo under the Public Officers Law.<\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">REUTERS\/Brendan McDermid\/File Photo<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The action came a month after the ethics agency voted to revoke its prior July 17, 2020 approval allowing Cuomo to publish the book, claiming he violated an agreement not to use state resources.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-large is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/12\/cuomo-ethics-profits-768.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=682\" alt=\"Andrew Cuomo's memoir, &quot;American Crisis: Leadership Lessons From the Covid-19 Pandemic&quot;\" class=\"wp-image-20657294\" width=\"345\" height=\"517\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/12\/cuomo-ethics-profits-768.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=690 690w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/12\/cuomo-ethics-profits-768.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=517 517w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/12\/cuomo-ethics-profits-768.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=345 345w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/12\/cuomo-ethics-profits-768.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=172 172w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/12\/cuomo-ethics-profits-768.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 345px) 100vw, 345px\"\/><figcaption>Cuomo allegedly violated an agreement not to use state resources, including his staffers, to write his 2020 memoir.<\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">AP<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u201cWe request that your office support the efforts of the commission to seek expedient civil process that will hold the former governor accountable for his misrepresentations to the commission [and] for his breach of the conditional approval letter\u201d for the book deal, Nieves said.<\/p>\n<p>Nieves, an appointee of Gov. Kathy Hochul, sought to downplay any rift with the attorney general\u2019s office during an interview Wednesday night and later issued a statement complaining about \u201cunauthorized and improper releases of information by someone associated with JCOPE.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>But he defended JCOPE\u2019s action in regards to disgorging Cuomo book profit.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe have a difference of opinion as to the outside activity rule. The law is clear. We can approve, disapprove or revoke the authority of a public official to engage in outside activity,\u201d Nieves told The Post.<\/p>\n<p>Nieves put the onus on Cuomo.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe ball in Cuomo\u2019s court on whether he will evade the resolution we passed or do the right thing,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>Last week, JCOPE Commissioner Gary Lavine accused James of engaging in a \u201cdeliberate stall\u201d not to go after Cuomo\u2019s book proceeds.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe attorney general does not want to take action with respect to recovering the money,\u201d he alleged.<\/p>\n<p>But it was AG James\u2019 office\u2019s investigative report released in August that forced the three-term Democrat Cuomo\u2019s resignation after substantiating a slew of accusations of mistreatment and harassment leveled against the ex-governor by current and former staffers.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/12\/cuomo-ethics-profits-766.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1024\" alt=\"A medic wheels a patient into the hospital.\" class=\"wp-image-20657306\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/12\/cuomo-ethics-profits-766.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1535 1536w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/12\/cuomo-ethics-profits-766.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/12\/cuomo-ethics-profits-766.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=512 512w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption>Family members of nursing home residents lost to COVID accused Cuomo of covering up deaths while seeking \u201cblood money\u201d off the backs of their loved ones after James issued a devastating report that found Cuomo undercounted nursing home deaths from the coronavirus by 50.<\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">AP Photo\/John Minchillo, File<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>James\u2019 also issued a devastating report in January that found Cuomo undercounted nursing home deaths from the coronavirus by 50 percent while he was negotiating his book deal. Family members of nursing home residents lost to COVID accused Cuomo of covering up deaths while seeking \u201cblood money\u201d off the backs of their loved ones.<\/p>\n<p>James\u2019 office meanwhile is conducting a separate, criminal probe into Cuomo\u2019s book deal.<\/p>\n<p>James, through a spokesperson, slammed JCOPE as a failed ethics agency when asked about the legal dispute over clawing back Cuomo\u2019s book proceeds.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAttorney General James\u2019 record as a fiercely independent watchdog for justice stands in sharp contrast to JCOPE\u2019s failed record on ethics. We must clean up corruption in accordance with our laws, not these slight of hand, half-hearted efforts that will not withstand legal scrutiny and take us nowhere,\u201d the James rep said.<\/p>\n<p>The state Assembly Judiciary Committee\u2019s impeachment report recently found that Cuomo used staffers extensively to help prepare the book \u2014 though he insisted the work was done voluntarily and legally.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/12\/cuomo-ethics-profits-764.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1024\" alt=\"Andrew Cuomo looking upset\" class=\"wp-image-20657317\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/12\/cuomo-ethics-profits-764.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1535 1536w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/12\/cuomo-ethics-profits-764.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/12\/cuomo-ethics-profits-764.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=512 512w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption>Cuomo\u2019s attorney said he will go to court to block JCOPE\u2019s order to return the book profits, claiming their order is illegal and violates the former governor\u2019s rights.<\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">AP Photo\/Jacquelyn Martin, File<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The handsy ex-governor also is being probed by the FBI and the Brooklyn US Attorney\u2019s Office.<\/p>\n<p>Cuomo\u2019s attorney said he will go to court to block JCOPE\u2019s order to return the book profits, claiming their order is illegal.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cJCOPE\u2019s actions violated fundamental constitutional rights and flagrantly exceeded its statutory authority. It is not at all surprising that the lawlessness of JCOPE\u2019s latest unlawful action is being recognized as just that. We remain ready to vindicate the Governor before a politically neutral body, our courts,\u201d Cuomo\u2019s lawyer James McGuire said previously.\n                        <\/p><\/div>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News<\/a> articles, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/news\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2021\/12\/29\/ny-ethics-chief-urges-ag-james-to-claw-back-cuomo-book-profits\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;#NY ethics chief urges AG James to claw back Cuomo book profits&#8221; The head of the state\u2019s watchdog agency urged state Attorney General Letitia James Wednesday to enforce its order to claw back $5.1 million in book profits from disgraced ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo. Jose Nieves, chairman of the Joint Commission on Public Ethics, sent a&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":387640,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/12\/cuomo-ethics-profits-index.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=1024","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[70897],"tags":[122785,70344,93174,72172],"class_list":["post-387639","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-12-29-21","tag-coronavirus-in-ny","tag-joint-commission-on-public-ethics","tag-letitia-james"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/387639","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=387639"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/387639\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/387640"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=387639"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=387639"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=387639"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}