'Accountability matters': 12 passages that haven't aged well from Andrew Cuomo's book on leadership

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New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, D., portrays himself as a hard-truth-teller who never allowed politics to get in the way of his coronavirus decision-making in his 2020 memoir "American Crisis: Leadership Lessons From The Covid-19 Pandemic."

Some of the words he rushed out in October have not aged well.

Cuomo published his book during the midst of the pandemic in what amounted to a victory lap over his handling of the crisis. But now his political fortunes and his book sales have soured as he faces charges of covering up nursing home deaths in the state, as well as multiple accusations of sexual harassment.

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Bombshell reports from the New York Times and Wall Street Journal revealed Cuomo aides rewrote a state health report in June that revealed more than 9,000 nursing home residents had died of coronavirus, just as Cuomo was starting to write "American Crisis."

The publisher of Cuomo’s book said Monday it had "paused active support" of the title due to the federal investigation of his administration’s handling of the state’s nursing home crisis, according to a report.

In the following 12 passages from the book, Cuomo touts his integrity, apolitical instincts, and commitment to leveling with New Yorkers:

"[President] Trump, from all evidence, believed the pandemic was just another public relations matter … While public health shouldn’t be a political issue, with the Trump administration everything was political." (page 7)

"I am frustrated by the incompetence of the government and distrustful of the motivations and ability of many politicians." (page 11)

"It’s not my place to filter or edit the truth. The people of New York are not children, and I am not their father. In fact, I don’t even filter the truth for my kids. People will make the right judgment if they know the facts." (page 18)

"As an elected official, I’m less worried about political consequences and more worried about the governmental consequences. At times, my father and I had both made the mistake of focusing on the immediate politics of a situation, and I would not make it again." (page 36)

"I wanted no position in the Biden administration; I was governor of New York. I would not let politics get in the way. If they wanted to attack my analysis or plan, they would have to do it on the merits." (page 45)

"The only path and rationale that I have found is to always assume that you are serving your last term and that what matters most is your legacy of success and integrity. There are no great political leaders who have followed the course of political expediency." (pages 51-52)

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"Donald Trump did not have the only microphone. I had one too. And I had something else: credibility." (p. 93)

"It still amazes and heartens me that people just wanted the truth, competence, and confidence from their leaders ... It’s all about the details and achieving results, especially when it’s life or death, making the bureaucracy work. I understand why some state governments and the federal government ran from the challenge. It’s really hard." (page 174)

"I have learned something as I have gotten older. Ultimately, the truth wins out." (page 223)

"Accountability matters. If you don’t want to be accountable, you shouldn’t be in a government position." (page 239)

"I am part of the system because I want to change the system; you need to be part of the system to be most effective in changing it. But don’t ever suggest that I am part of the failure in the system … I consider myself a counter-politician. That may sound like a nuanced difference, but to me it’s all the difference in the world." (page 256)

In this Oct. 21, 2020, photo provided by the Office of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo, Gov. Cuomo provides a coronavirus update during a news conference in the Red Room at the State Capitol in Albany, N.Y. Cuomo said Friday, Nov. 13, 2020, that six northeast U.S. governors are having an "emergency summit" on COVID-19 this coming weekend as the coronavirus continues to spread throughout the region. (Mike Groll/Office of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo)

"People who call themselves progressives must be examples of why Americans should trust us. Their service must be honorable and productive. They must be willing and able to make the hard choices to effect change and deliver results … They must make things better. If they fail to do that or one reason or another, they set the progressive cause back and give Americans more of a reason to distrust us." (pages 262-263)

Cuomo became a media darling during the pandemic, receiving fawning coverage from the mainstream press and even an Emmy award for his daily COVID press conferences. In one ABC News interview, anchor Amy Robach asked him what he thought of women like Chelsea Handler confessing physical attraction to him.

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Cuomo is sharply defensive of his nursing home policy in the book, saying he merely followed federal policy with his March 25 directive that nursing homes accept COVID-19-positive patients. However, he reversed the policy in May, and the Cuomo administration hid thousands of nursing home fatalities from federal authorities, by its own admission, for fear of a Trump administration investigation.

Cuomo said criticism of him was politically motivated and inaccurate, telling readers he acted like other governors did to free up hospital beds.

"Imagine having lost a loved one in a nursing home. You are already questioning yourself about whether you should have removed them and then you hear their life was lost because of a government blunder," he wrote, later adding, "New York State never demanded or directed that any nursing home accept a COVID-positive patient."

Cuomo briefly addressed his interviews on CNN with his younger brother Chris Cuomo, dismissing criticism of them because "neither Chris nor I ever pretended that this was an objective interview."

The younger Cuomo has since been banned from covering or interviewing his brother by the network, which took criticism for the clear conflict of interest.

Also under fire for claims that he has bullied lawmakers, Gov. Cuomo acknowledged he has a "controlling" personality.

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"Show me a person who is not controlling, and I’ll show you a person who is probably not highly successful," he wrote.

Fox News' Thomas Barrabi contributed to this report.