| USA TODAY
NY Assemblyman alleges Cuomo threats scandal
Assemblyman Ron Kim said New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo “complained” during a private phone call last week about criticism he saw as unfair in dealing with COVID-19 outbreaks at nursing homes. (February 18)
AP
The claim: NY Governor Andrew Cuomo is on trial
It has been almost a year since the coronavirus pandemic began to devastate the US and elsewhere. During the year, the virus infected at least 28 million Americans and killed nearly 500,000 others.
When the virus first landed in the US, the state of New York, especially the city of New York, was hit the hardest.
During this time, the daily coronavirus information from Governor Andrew Cuomo, Governor of New York, made a name for himself across the country while the state worked to bring the virus under control.
Praise for Cuomo’s handling of the coronavirus has gone so far that he received the International Emmy Founders Award in November for his 111 briefings.
Recently, however, Cuomo and his administration have been under fire for incorrect reporting or undercounting of coronavirus deaths in nursing homes.
One viral Instagram video from the political news account polialertcom shows a news clip from CNN about calls to accuse Cuomo.
The caption reads: ‘New York government # AndrewCuomo is on trial after a top assistant alleges that the government delayed the release of data on the death of Covid-19 from long-term care residents due to concerns about a possible federal investigation. ‘
More: Fact check: The claim that California did not verify signatures on ballots is false
Controversy over nursing home data
Despite initial praise for his handling of COVID-19, there is growing criticism from both Democrats and Republicans of Cuomo and his team’s handling of data, after an assistant admitted to concealing data about nursing home care.
Initially, the administration only released data on the number of residents of nursing homes who died from the coronavirus while in the homes. State lawmakers also searched data showing the number of residents who died in hospitals.
The remarks on the withholding of data were made by Secretary of State Melissa DeRosa in a private Zoom call with Democratic lawmakers. Cuomo’s administration has since released a partial transcript of the call.
‘Actually we froze, because then we were in a position where we were not sure whether what we would give to the Department of Justice or what we would give to you and what we started saying would be used against us and we was not sure if there would be an investigation, ‘DeRosa said.
DeRosa later said in a statement that she was trying to explain that once the government received the federal investigation, it had to temporarily set aside the legislature.
The comments only further fueled the two-pronged push for an investigation into the data and the handling of the coronavirus.
The calls center on information that revealed the true death toll from the coronavirus for the state’s nursing homes – 13,000 deaths compared to the 8,700 originally reported. The death toll reaches 15,000 if other facilities are included.
Following these developments, the Republicans of New York are asking for Cuomo’s accusation, while 14 State Democrats are asking to recall his emergency forces, saying the expanded powers are “no longer appropriate.”
“Andrew Cuomo must be prosecuted and Andrew Cuomo must be charged if this evidence exists,” said Nick Langworthy, chairman of the New York GOP.
On Feb. 15, Cuomo conceded that the state had earlier released data on nursing homes but was unable to do so, citing pandemic-related workloads and a restrictive federal investigation by Trump’s Justice Department.
“More than anything, it was just a matter of capacity,” Cuomo said of the delay in disclosing the information. “Remember, at the same time we are managing the pandemic; that’s what everyone did, and these things take time and the first priority was to save people’s lives.”
While conceding that the data should have been released earlier, Cuomo maintains that there is nothing to investigate, adding that the government provided the information to the Department of Justice.
Our verdict: Where
The claim in the mail was rated as TRUE. Some Republicans in New York are asking for the indictment of Governor Andrew Cuomo following the controversial handling of his administration of coronavirus death data in nursing homes.
Our sources for fact-finding
- USA TODAY, March 29, “New York is at war with the coronavirus. Expect the same in the US, experts warn.”
- New York State, recent Coronavirus briefings
- International Emmy Awards, November 20, 2020, “NEW YORK GOVERNOR ANDREW M. CUOMO TO RECEIVE 2020 INTERNATIONAL EMMY® FOUNDERS AWARD”
- USA TODAY, February 14, 2020, “New York Government Top Assistant Andrew Cuomo admits to withholding COVID-19 nursing home data amid investigation”
- Transcription of telephone calls
- USA TODAY, February 15, 2020, ” There is nothing to investigate ‘: Governor Andrew Cuomo defends New York’s handling of COVID-19 in nursing homes “
- USA TODAY, February 9, “Deaths in nursing homes in New York and relief care reach nearly 15,000 people. Here is true.”
- CNN, February 15, “Governor Cuomo faces charges of alleged Covid-19 cover-up”
- Fox News, February 16, “14 Democrats in the NY Senate want to recall Cuomo’s emergency forces”
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