Janice Dean: Andrew Cuomo's book deal marked the start of his 'undoing'

The ethics panel vote ordering ex-New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo to return the money from the proceeds of his book written during the COVID-19 pandemic marks his "undoing," Fox News' senior meteorologist Janice Dean said Tuesday.

"It' about time," Dean said on "The Story." "There’s been many times that they voted on it…and they said, ‘Let him keep the money.’ Now, they finally found their conscience… and it goes to show you that this man had so much power over these people for so long that I believe they were scared to tell him to return the money months ago."

JANICE DEAN SPEAKS OUT AMID REPORTS TEAM CUOMO SECRETLY PLOTTED TO DISCREDIT HER: 'THIS WON'T STOP MY MISSION'

Cuomo will have to return $5.1 million earned to the state by next month after the Joint Commission on Public Ethics concluded that the governor had violated pledges not to use state resources or government staff to prepare the project. The resolution was drafted by commissioner David McNamara. Cuomo, McNamara said, "lacked the legal authority to engage in outside activity and receive compensation in regard to the book," the New York Post reported.  The watchdog panel voted 12-1.

Cuomo's book, titled "American Crisis: Leadership Lessons from the COVID-19 Pandemic," was widely criticized when it was released in October 2020 because it seemed as though the Democratic governor was taking credit for sterling leadership while the pandemic was still raging in New York.

"I think the book deal was the thing that is finally his undoing," Dean said. "If you look at the timeline when he started making plans to write this book, that’s when he started to lie about the nursing home numbers. He was actively covering them up to sell this book."

The once a-political Fox News senior meteorologist has become an outspoken Cuomo critic after losing both her in-laws in New York nursing homes during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

 A recent report shows that top allies of the disgraced Democrat plotted to discredit her behind the scenes for becoming a vocal critic of the nursing home scandal. 

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"This time last year he had the Emmy Awards. The book deal was in full swing," Dean told "The Story" host Martha MacCallum. "He was doing interviews on every single major channel. This time last year, I thought to myself, my voice is not loud enough. I was ready to give up because this man was so revered."

New York Attorney General Letitia James is also investigating Cuomo's book deal, along with the FBI and the Brooklyn U.S. Attorney’s Office.