Albany, NY – In response to the New York State Joint Commission on Public Ethics conducting an internal investigation into its decision to approve former Governor Andrew Cuomo’s “American Crisis” book deal, Ivette Alfonso, president of Citizen Action of New York, released the following statement:
“The fact that the New York State Joint Commission on Public Ethics finally made the decision to investigate former Governor Andrew Cuomo’s book deal shows that Cuomo had too much influence over the commission in the first place. The commission must fulfill their obligations to the people of this state first and foremost. New Yorkers deserve to know that the people they elected are there to work for them, not to further entrench their own power and influence. We applaud State Senator and Chair of Committee on Ethics and Internal Governance Alessandra Biaggi for doing just that and look forward to a sea change in holding our public officials accountable to the people, not personal profit.”