Andrew Cuomo Aide: To Avoid Federal Investigation, New York Hid COVID-19 Nursing Home Deaths

A top aide to New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said her team withheld the number nursing home COVID-19 deaths to protect Cuomo government from federal investigation and criticism.

On Thursday, the New York Post reported that New York’s secretary to the governor, Melissa DeRosa, apologized to Democrat state leaders for “political” damage caused by the Cuomo administration’s suppression of information.

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DeRosa: Cuomo’s Government Suppressed Statistics

DeRosa said Cuomo’s team were worried about a federal investigation after former President Donald Trump pointed to the high number of coronavirus-related deaths in New York nursing homes.

This was detailed in a recorded call with state Democrat lawmakers.

According top DeRosa, this concern caused Cuomo’s team to suppress the statistics against requests for such information.

Team Cuomo put protecting the governor above transparency.

This was the conclusion drawn by Democratic Assemblyman Ron Kim, who took part in the conference call.

‘They admitted that they were trying to dodge having any incriminating evidence…’

“They had to first make sure that the state was protected against federal investigation.” Kim told the New York Post.

He said DeRosa’s comments sounded “like they admitted that they were trying to dodge having any incriminating evidence that might put the administration or the [Health Department] in further trouble with the Department of Justice.”

“That’s how I understand their reasoning of why they were unable to share, in real time, the data,” Kim said.

DeRosa apologized to state Democrats for how this all went down. 

“So we do apologize,” DeRose said. “I do understand the position that you were put in. I know that it is not fair. It was not our intention to put you in that political position with the Republicans.”

Republican Rep. Lee Zeldin had made an earlier call for an obstruction of justice investigation into Gov. Cuomo.

The Democrat-friendly mainstream media had praised Cuomo’s conduct as governor during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

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AP: New Info Could Be ‘A Potential Blow To (Cuomo’s) Image As A Pandemic Hero’

Gov. Cuomo even wrote a book, “American Crisis: Leadership Lessons from the COVID-19 Pandemic.”  

The total number to date of nursing home deaths related to coronavirus is 15,049, according to New York’s latest information.

The Associated Press wondered whether the Cuomo’s administration’s underreporting of nursing home deaths dealt “a potential blow to his image as a pandemic hero.”