Former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo is reportedly under investigation by the Department of Justice (DOJ) for allegedly providing false testimony to Congress regarding his administration’s COVID-19 nursing home policies. The New York Times reported Tuesday that the probe follows a referral from the Republican-led House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic.
The House subcommittee had previously recommended criminal charges against Cuomo last fall, accusing him of untruthfulness about his involvement in a state COVID report. This report was later found to have significantly undercounted nursing home deaths during the pandemic.
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The subcommittee alleges that Cuomo reviewed, edited, and even drafted portions of this report, despite his testimony denying such involvement.
The committee’s referral specifically highlighted that Cuomo testified he was not involved in the review or drafting of the July 2020 New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) Report, had no discussions about its peer-review, and no knowledge of individuals outside the NYSDOH reviewing it—statements the subcommittee claims are demonstrably false based on evidence and witness testimony.
Rich Azzopardi, a spokesman for the Cuomo campaign, stated to CNN, asserting that the leak of the investigation is a politically motivated act of “election interference” by President Donald Trump. “We have never been informed of any such matter, so why would someone leak it now? The answer is obvious: This is lawfare and election interference plain and simple,” Azzopardi stated. He maintained that Governor Cuomo “testified truthfully to the best of his recollection about events from four years earlier” and had offered to answer any follow-up questions from the subcommittee, dismissing the entire process as “transparently political.”
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The alleged DOJ investigation emerges as Cuomo is currently the leading Democratic candidate in the New York City mayoral race.
This development adds another layer of scrutiny to his political comeback efforts, following his resignation as governor in 2021 amidst various scandals, including allegations of sexual harassment and criticism over his administration’s handling of nursing home data during the pandemic.
The issue of nursing home deaths and the state’s reporting has been a persistent point of contention, with New York Attorney General Letitia James’s 2021 report finding that Cuomo’s team undercounted nursing home deaths by as much as 50 percent.
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