New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D)
The administration of New York Governor Andrew Cuomo concealed the number of deaths in the state’s nursing homes last year and apologized to lawmakers of the same party for doing so in a private conference call, a media report said. After the news broke, New York’s 14 Democratic state senators issued a joint statement calling for Cuomo to be relieved of his emergency powers.
The 14 lawmakers said, “While COVID-19 (the Chinese Communist virus) tested the limits of our people and our state, and required a reshuffling of government decision-making in the early stages of the pandemic to make swift and necessary public health judgments, it is clear that granting the governor expanded emergency powers is no longer appropriate. Although this administrator’s authority to issue directives expires on April 30, we urge the Senate to move forward and adopt a repeal as soon as possible.”
A recent New York Post report (including sound bites) revealed that Cuomo’s secretary, Melissa DeRosa, allegedly told Democratic lawmakers that the Cuomo administration was hiding the nursing Home death toll because it could be used by the Trump administration’s Justice Department “against us.”
DeRosa said Trump directed “the Justice Department to investigate us,” and after learning of the investigation, “we basically froze (the death toll),” the report said. She added, “So, we do feel sorry.”
According to the report, there are more than 600 nursing homes in New York State, housing more than 100,000 seniors. According to the state Department of Health, at least 5,000 nursing home residents died of the disease last year.
On Jan. 28, New York State Attorney General Letitia James issued a report saying the state Department of Health may have underreported by about 50 percent.
James said in a statement at the Time, “As the pandemic and our investigation continue, we must understand why residents of New York nursing homes are dying unnecessarily at such an alarming rate. While we cannot bring back the individuals who lost their lives in this crisis, this report seeks to provide the transparency the public deserves and to inspire additional action to protect our most vulnerable residents.”
Following the release of James’ report, Cuomo faced increasing calls for his resignation.
In a press conference in January, Cuomo responded to the investigation by saying, “Who cares if (they) die in the hospital, die in the nursing home? (In short) they died.” The remark sparked further condemnation.
President Joe Biden has in the past praised Cuomo’s handling of the New York State outbreak of the Chinese Communist virus, calling his work “outstanding.
However, White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki avoided answering Friday (12) when asked if Biden trusted Cuomo.
Earlier, Biden met with Cuomo and several other bipartisan governors and mayors at the White House to discuss the response to the communist virus outbreak.
New York State Republicans intend to prosecute and impeach Cuomo and other state officials after it was revealed that he concealed the number of nursing home deaths.
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