Former Democratic New York Governor Andrew Cuomo faced intense scrutiny during a New York City mayoral debate Wednesday, deflecting direct questions about his administration’s controversial handling of nursing home COVID-19 deaths. The fiery exchange reignited a long-standing controversy surrounding the undercounting of fatalities during the pandemic.
During the primary debate, Cuomo was immediately pressed on his infamous 2020 directive requiring nursing homes to accept COVID-19-positive patients, and the subsequent misrepresentation of death figures.
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“The New York reports always counted the number of deaths where they occurred in a nursing home or in a hospital,” Cuomo asserted.
However, the discussion quickly escalated when a fellow candidate directly challenged Cuomo: “Will you acknowledge the deaths? I mean, it’s a very black and white [question]. Did you lie to Congress, or will you acknowledge the death? 15,000 people died, and he still won’t answer your question.”
Cuomo vehemently denied lying to Congress, stating, “No, I told Congress the truth… We did not undercount any deaths when they are all counted. We’re number 38 out of 50. Which I think shows that compared to what other states went through, we had it first and worst, and that only 12 states had a lower rate of death.” He then pivoted to praise the nursing home staff for their “extraordinary job.”
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The contentious issue stems from a March 2022 audit that revealed the New York State Department of Health significantly undercounted nursing home patient deaths under Cuomo’s leadership. Adding to the pressure, reports surfaced in May that the Department of Justice has launched a criminal investigation into Cuomo over accusations he lied during a Congressional probe regarding his administration’s COVID-19 response. House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer also stated in March that Cuomo “knowingly and willfully made false statements to Congress” regarding the death toll.
A moderator then asked Cuomo a pointed “yes or no question” about his involvement in producing the original nursing home death report. Cuomo began to answer, “I was very aware of the report. I spoke to it at press conferences — ” before being interrupted and accused by other candidates of avoiding the question.
Ultimately, the moderators moved on, acknowledging they were “not getting an answer” from the former governor.
Cuomo, who resigned from the governorship in 2021 amid accusations of sexually harassing 13 women, recently told The New York Times he regrets his resignation but believed he would have been a “distraction” if he had stayed. Despite the controversies, an early January poll showed Cuomo leading the Democratic mayoral primary field with 32% support.
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