Former Governor Andrew Cuomo was directly involved in modifying a state report that downplayed the number of COVID-19 deaths in nursing homes, according to newly revealed emails, which contradict his previous denials of any involvement.
Documents and emails obtained by congressional investigators undermine Cuomo’s claim, made during a congressional hearing, that he had no recollection of seeing or being involved in the drafting of the state Health Department’s report, as first reported by the New York Times.
“Governor’s edits are attached for your review,” Cuomo’s assistant wrote to top members of his administration in June 2020, according to the Times report.
While Cuomo wasn’t under oath during his testimony earlier this year, he was warned that any false statements could lead to criminal charges, according to a transcript.
Families of nursing home victims saw the emails as clear evidence that Cuomo not only contributed to the policies that caused their relatives’ deaths but also actively covered up the true impact.
“Cuomo lied before Congress,” said Tracey Alvino, director of Voices for Seniors, whose father passed away from COVID-19 in a Long Island nursing home. “It’s a crime. It’s proven by the emails.
“Absolutely, he should be prosecuted. I would love to see him in an orange jumpsuit.”
Cuomo’s decision to send COVID-positive seniors back into nursing homes during the early days of the pandemic has been heavily criticized, with some estimates suggesting that this move led to as many as 9,000 additional deaths.
Later, Cuomo admitted that he had his secretary send an email to his inner circle in which he referred to the March directive as “the great debacle.”
His involvement in a July 2020 Department of Health report, which understated the number of nursing home deaths, has been labeled as part of a “cover-up” by a U.S. House committee.
The House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic claimed that Cuomo’s team “edited” the report, and the emails cited by the Times suggest that Cuomo played an even more direct role.
He is said to have personally added language to the report that shifted blame for the deaths onto nursing home staff and visitors, implying they were responsible for bringing COVID into the facilities, according to the Times.
During closed-door questioning by House members in June, Cuomo stated that he didn’t review the draft report on nursing home deaths before its release.
According to the transcript, he claimed he had no memory of reviewing, editing, or discussing the report prior to its publication on July 7, 2020.
Furthermore, none of the emails highlighted by the Times were written by Cuomo himself, as it is widely known that he does not use email.
Cuomo’s evasive responses during a September 10 congressional hearing prompted Hudson Valley Representative Mike Lawler (R-NY) to label him a “lying sack of s—t.”
Vivian Zayas, co-founder of Voices for Seniors and whose mother, Ana Martinez, passed away after contracting COVID-19 in a Long Island nursing home, also attended the hearing.
She said Cuomo “absolutely lied.”
“He said he had nothing to do with the report,” she noted.
“If he lied to Congress, he committed a crime. He should definitely be investigated.
“We’re going to see this through to the end. Cuomo needs to be held accountable.”
Cuomo’s spokesperson, Rich Azzopardi, responded to the email revelations by insisting that it was staff who inadvertently spread COVID in the nursing homes.
“Governor Cuomo was fully cooperative with the committee over two separate days, relayed everything he remembered about events that happened four years ago in the midst of a once-in-a-century pandemic, and nothing this MAGA committee has uncovered undermines that New York followed [then-President Donald] Trump’s CDC nursing home policies or the DOH report’s conclusion that COVID was spread in nursing homes by asymptomatic staff,” Azzopardi stated.
Meanwhile, as current New York City Mayor Eric Adams faces multiple scandals, rumors have been circulating that Cuomo may be preparing a run for the city’s mayoralty.
Alvino expressed her hope that these email revelations would at least put an end to Cuomo’s political ambitions.
“Cuomo was derelict in his duties,” she said. “My father was killed. He’s too dangerous to be in office.”
{Matzav.com}