New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s (D) publisher says it will stop promoting his book on the state’s coronavirus response due to the probe into COVID-19 deaths in the state’s nursing homes.
“Pending the ongoing investigation,” Gillian Blake of Crown Publishing Group told The New York Times, “we have paused active support of ‘American Crisis’ and have no plans to reprint or reissue in paperback.”
Cuomo’s book, “American Crisis: Leadership Lessons from the Covid-19 Pandemic,” was published last October and chronicles New York’s response to the pandemic. At one time, the state’s efforts were touted by national public health experts as among the best in the country.
But the embattled governor is now on the defensive after revelations in recent months that top state officials may have covered up the full extent of coronavirus deaths from the virus in New York nursing homes or misled the public.
Last month, federal law enforcement announced it would conduct an investigation into the alleged irregularities.
“As we publicly said, [the Department of Justice] has been looking into this for months. We have been cooperating with them and we will continue to,” a senior adviser to Cuomo said at the time.
Cuomo was dealt a second public relations blow last month when multiple women came forward alleging he sexually harassed them or touched them in ways that made them feel uncomfortable.
The Democrat in a news conference last week apologized to the women and urged critics to wait for the facts of a state attorney general probe into the sexual misconduct claims to come to light. He also balked at calls for his resignation, which have grown in recent days.
“Some politicians will always play politics. That’s the nature of the beast. I don’t think today is a day for politics. I wasn’t elected by politicians, I was elected by the people of the state of New York. I’m not going to resign,” Cuomo said at the press conference. “I work for the people of the state of New York, they elected me, and I’m going to serve the people of the state of New York.”
Cuomo’s book sold fewer than 500 copies between Jan. 23 and Feb. 27, the Times noted, with fewer than 50,000 sold since its publication.