NEW YORK (1010 WINS) -- New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli has asked the state attorney general’s office to investigate claims that Gov. Andrew Cuomo used state resources to write and publicize his pandemic-centric book last year, according to a report.
A letter DiNapoli sent to New York Attorney General Letitia James last week asked her to launch a probe focusing on allegations that “public resources may have been used in the development and promotion of the Governor’s book,” the New York Times reported Monday.
The comptroller sent the letter weeks after the Times and other outlets reported that a number of Cuomo’s aides and staff members helped him work on his book, which focused on the early months of the pandemic in New York state.
James’ office should focus on the “drafting, editing, sale and promotion of the Governor’s book and any related financial or business transactions,” DiNapoli wrote in his letter.
“I further confer to you the authority to prosecute the person or persons believed to have committed the same and any crime or offense arising out of such investigation or prosecution or both, including but not limited to appearing before and presenting all such matters to a grand jury; and take whatever other action you deem appropriate,” he added.
In a statement provided to the Times after the outlet published its report, Cuomo adviser Rich Azzopardi called DiNapoli’s request “Albany politics at its worst.”
“Both the comptroller and the attorney general have spoken to people about running for governor, and it is unethical to wield criminal referral authority to further political self-interest,” Azzopardi said.
At a news briefing on Monday, Cuomo continued to maintain that staffers who helped him work on his book volunteered to do so, the Times reported.
James’ office didn’t immediately provide a comment on the comptroller’s letter.