Fox News meteorologist Janice Dean blasted New York Governor Andrew Cuomo for his “tone deaf” victory lap regarding his state’s coronavirus response.
Dean, whose husband’s parents were both victims of COVID-19, and in whom nursing homes played a part, spoke about the Governor’s recent celebrations in an appearance on ‘Tucker Carlson Tonight.’
“My husband lost both of his parents. His mom, Dee, in an assisted living facility and his dad in a nursing home,” she divulged. “They died of coronavirus alone. We never had a funeral. We never had a wake. We weren’t able to see them before they died.”
“And to see Governor Cuomo on television just this last week talking about his love life and this disgusting poster that is basically a depiction of the 32,000 people who died,” a dismayed Dean continued.
Thank you @JaniceDean for being a leader in the fight to hold Cuomo accountable for the thousands of avoidable deaths in New York nursing homes caused by his reckless policies.
America mourns your loss with you. We won’t let him get away with this. pic.twitter.com/xIveZhZcB3
— Steve Scalise (@SteveScalise) July 16, 2020
RELATED: Cuomo Slammed For Selling COVID Poster As New York Leads The Nation In Deaths
Tone Deaf
Cuomo this week painted a poster (which is now for sale) of his pandemic response and appeared on ‘The Tonight Show’ with Jimmy Fallon where he complained that he is “at Phase Zero on dating” when asked about his love life.
“It’s not funny. It’s tone-deaf. And it makes my heart hurt because we’re still mourning our loved ones,” Dean fumed. “And we think part of the reason is because Governor Cuomo allowed over 6,000 COVID patients into nursing homes.”
It is a significant part of the reason.
Cuomo, in March, issued an executive order which forced nursing homes to take on patients that had tested positive for coronavirus. He would refuse to reverse the directive for six weeks while well over 6,000 senior citizens succumbed to the virus.
As whispers started circulating about Cuomo’s edict, the New York State Department of Health admitted to undercounting the already staggering numbers of deaths.
This, after they quietly changed the rules on reporting nursing home deaths so that they would be lower.
The true numbers may be much higher than the 6,000 or so being reported.
Dean earlier in the week tweeted out a copy of the executive order, which Politifact reports was exclusive to Cuomo’s state because “New York was the only state in the nation that barred testing of those being placed or returning to nursing homes.”
It’s hard to find this because you scrubbed it from your government website. But I saved a picture of it for ya! pic.twitter.com/bBjWRaVxCZ
— Janice Dean (@JaniceDean) July 14, 2020
RELATED: Trump Smacks Cuomo Over Nursing Home Scandal: Thousands Died Because Of NY’s Governor
Slams His Brother Too
Dean also took a shot at CNN anchor and brother to the Governor, Chris Cuomo, after he had an on-air meltdown over President Trump showing support for Goya Foods in an Instagram post.
Little brother Fredo, who likes to play up this faux image of being a tough guy for his fans, started cursing on-air as he has been known to do several times without repercussion.
“The pandemic is in full effect. It’s feasting on us, especially red states whose governors followed Trump’s trail of denial to their own detriment,” Cuomo said.
“You tell me how a president in the middle of a pandemic has got time for this bulls***?! Are you kidding me?! Hawking products? Goya, I don’t care who it is. Resolute desk? This is what he’s resolute about?! Pandemic priorities?” a triggered Fredo carried on.
“On your dime, in the middle of a pandemic, they’re selling beans!” says @ChrisCuomo, outraged over Pres. Trump’s “magic beans” photo.
“Are you kidding me? Seriously. Seriously… what good reason?” pic.twitter.com/zih858VuBB
— Cuomo Prime Time (@CuomoPrimeTime) July 16, 2020
First off, your own brother’s response to the pandemic has resulted in New York state leading the nation in the number of deaths from COVID-19 – far and away more than any other state. More than double that of New Jersey who ranks second, and more than the next three leading states combined.
By any standard, New York’s pandemic approach has been an unmitigated disaster and exactly emulated what health experts were trying to avoid.
On the left is NY’s COVID-19 Curve.
Does it look familiar? It should.
It’s exactly the curve that every health expert said we should desperately seek to avoid.
That’s exactly what the image on the right was meant to convey. The states spiking now are the second curve. pic.twitter.com/EU9tRoLy4v
— (((AG))) (@AGHamilton29) July 14, 2020
And those red states Chris alleges “followed Trump’s trail of denial to their own detriment”?
They’re doing exactly what health experts wanted.
Now some people are celebrating because NY is on the other side of the curve everyone (rightly) agreed we should avoid and they are pretending that is a better outcome than states that are following the path of the second curve by peaking later and MUCH lower.
— (((AG))) (@AGHamilton29) July 14, 2020
You can see the exact comparison when looking at the hospitalization curves since they are a bit ahead of deaths as an indicator.
NY/NJ vs AZ/CA/FL/TX pic.twitter.com/iOcdwlgfn9
— (((AG))) (@AGHamilton29) July 14, 2020
Dean hammered Cuomo over his outrage and crocodile tears.
“And yet in the middle of a pandemic, your brother and governor of New York [Andrew Cuomo], after 30,000+ deaths in his state has time to make and sell COVID posters honoring himself and go on [Jimmy Fallon] to talk about being single!” she tweeted. “Are you kidding me?”
For his part, Governor Cuomo has maintained that the nursing home deaths are just a part of life and to be expected for seniors.
“Older people, vulnerable people are going to die from this virus. That is going to happen despite whatever you do,” said Cuomo.
Shoving them back into nursing homes where they could infect other elderly people certainly accelerated that process though, didn’t it?
