New York Governor Andrew Cuomo’s administration is under investigation by the FBI and a United States attorney in Brooklyn for his administration’s COVID-related nursing home scandal.
The Times Union in Albany is reporting that an investigation has been launched “examining, at least in part, the actions of Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo’s coronavirus task force in its handling of nursing homes and other long-term care facilities during the pandemic.”
The newspaper notes that there have been no allegations of wrongdoing and that the investigation “is in its early stages.”
Focus appears to be on Governor Cuomo’s coronavirus task force ,whose more prominent members include New York State Health Commissioner Howard Zucker and Secretary to the Governor Melissa DeRosa.
DeRosa has been the subject of much consternation after she admitted in a conference call that the administration hid information on COVID nursing home deaths from federal investigators.
Sources tell ABC News subpoenas have been issued, but the investigation is just beginning. https://t.co/YQyk00tmUK
— FOX23News (@FOX23News) February 18, 2021
RELATED: Cuomo Threatens Democrat State Legislators Over COVID Nursing Home Scandal
Cuomo Under Investigation For Nursing Home Scandal
The New York Times reported that attorney general Letitia James, a Democrat, accused Cuomo and his administration, particularly officials at the State Health Department, of undercounting COVID deaths at nursing homes by as much as 50%.
The New York Post followed that up with a revelation that DeRosa told leading Democrats in a conference call that they did so because the administration feared the data could “be used against us” by the Justice Department saying, “basically, we froze.”
“We were in a position where we weren’t sure if what we were going to give to the Department of Justice, or what we give to you guys, what we start saying, was going to be used against us while we weren’t sure if there was going to be an investigation,” DeRosa added.
Cuomo aide admits they hid nursing home data so feds wouldn’t find out https://t.co/lbH53CORKv pic.twitter.com/OX94iKM0gn
— New York Post (@nypost) February 11, 2021
State officials had originally given a figure of about 8,677, and media frequently reported around 6,000 because that was all that could be confirmed based on the scant data already released.
WWNY News reports that the number was actually well over 15,000 seniors who died in nursing homes.
Why the cover-up? Most likely because there was a direct link between those deaths and the actions of the Governor.
Cuomo famously issued an executive order in March forcing nursing homes to take on patients that had tested positive for coronavirus.
AP Exclusive: Records show more than 9,000 recovering coronavirus patients in New York were released from hospitals into nursing homes under a controversial state order. https://t.co/o6CT3bLoqm
— The Associated Press (@AP) February 11, 2021
RELATED: NY Democrats Accuse Cuomo Of Lying As He Tries To Defend Handling Of Nursing Home Scandal
The Cover-up Continues
Multiple New York state Democrats – that’s Democrats – have accused the administration of criminal conduct in the nursing home scandal cover-up.
Fox News reports that nine Democratic New York State Assembly members signed a letter accusing Cuomo of obstruction of justice.
“We implore you to set aside any concerns of loyalty or disloyalty to this Governor, or that this matter is politicized,” the letter from earlier this week reads.
“We must absolutely consider above all the sanctity of the democratic institution that we call the Legislature of the State of New York, and resolutely pursue justice in the face of an executive who we can say without hesitation has engaged in intentional criminal wrongdoing.”
The obstruction continues though, unabated.
Rich Azzopardi, a spokesman for the governor, told the Times Union, “We have been cooperating with them (the DOJ) and we will continue to.”
The Associated Press, however, reports that officials with knowledge of the DOJ investigation “said the Cuomo administration had not been cooperative with prosecutors … and for months had not produced documents and other data the Justice Department had requested.”
Here’s what I wrote in December: pic.twitter.com/9Ud8EwEH82
— Janice Dean (@JaniceDean) February 18, 2021
And when obstruction doesn’t seem to be working, Team Cuomo shifts to intimidation.
The governor has been accused of threatening political retaliation against several New York state lawmakers who have criticized him for his handling of the nursing home scandal.
State Assemblyman Ron Kim claims that Cuomo called him and tried to talk Kim into issuing a statement covering for DeRosa. And when that didn’t work, he vowed to ruin Kim’s career.
Kim reported that the Democrat governor stated “we’re in this business together and we don’t cross certain lines,” adding that he “hadn’t seen his wrath” and that “I can destroy you.”
NY Democratic Assemblyman Ron Kim, whose uncle died in a NY nursing home: @NYGovCuomo called and “berated me, yelled at me. He told me that my career would be over [if I didn’t ] lie and … asking me [to cover up a] crime” pic.twitter.com/uHKopiIeDW
— Tom Elliott (@tomselliott) February 18, 2021
Fox News meteorologist Janice Dean, one of the few voices to continually hound Governor Cuomo over the nursing home scandal for months on end, said “people should go to jail” over the cover-up.
Dean used Cuomo’s own words about former President Donald Trump and turned them around on the Democrat.
I call on @NYGovCuomo to resign.
If he refuses, I call for impeachment. https://t.co/sgZHXKGwnD
— Janice Dean (@JaniceDean) February 17, 2021
Dean’s in-laws were victims of COVID-19, where nursing homes in New York played a part.
She has, at times, described Cuomo as a “criminal.”
While an investigation by the FBI and a U.S. attorney, along with fellow Democrats piling on seems to indicate the walls are closing in on Cuomo, we wouldn’t hold our breath just yet.
This is the same FBI whose highest-ranking officials tried to destroy the country by subverting the will of the people when they dared elect Trump to office in 2016.
The same FBI that failed to prosecute Hillary Clinton for a crime many people have been thrown in jail for.
Will their ongoing left-leaning agenda interfere in another investigation?
