Throw the book at Andy: watchdog

A good-government ethics watchdog group on Thursday accused Gov. Cuomo’s campaign of illegally promoting his best-selling memoir — and likely helping line his pockets with “significant income.”

The nonpartisan Citizens for Responsibility in Washington filed a complaint with the state Board of Elections that seeks an “immediate investigation” into allegations that “Cuomo for New York converted campaign funds to personal use in violation of election law.”

The 16-page complaint includes a copy of an Oct. 11 campaign e-mail, signed by Cuomo’s three daughters, that includes a link to purchase “American Crisis: Leadership Lessons from the COVID-19 Pandemic.”

It also includes screenshots of multiple Facebook, Twitter and Instagram posts in which Cuomo’s campaign touted the book, again with embedded links to buy copies. Some of the posts feature screenshots of Cuomo on Andy Cohen’s talk show as the host holds up a copy of the hardcover, which has a suggested retail price of $30.

In addition, the group says, Cuomo’s campaign “made expenditures potentially related to this activity,” including spending more than $45,000 on salaries for campaign workers and another $7,400 on consultants around the same time.

A Cuomo spokesman denied any wrongdoing, saying, “As is permissible and consistent with ethical requirements, people who volunteered on this project did so on their own time.”