WASHINGTON – Senator Ted Cruz and eight other Republican lawmakers in the Senate’s powerful legal committee have urged Chairman Dick Durbin to begin an investigation into the growing death scandal of nursing home Governor Andrew Cuomo.
In a letter sent Wednesday night, lawmakers asked Durbin (D-Il.) To immediately schedule hearings on the behavior of the Cuomo government, which is shocked by allegations that he deliberately increased the number of COVID-19 deaths in nursing homes refrained from federal prosecution. .
Senator Ted Cruz, R-Texas, speaks to reporters on Capitol Hill in Washington, Saturday, February 13, 2021, on the fifth day of the second indictment of former President Donald Trump. (AP Photo / Alex Brandon)
“The American people deserve to know the extent to which Governor Cuomo and his senior staff violated the civil rights of New York seniors, lied to the Department of Justice about their actions, and in the process violated federal civil and criminal laws,” he said. the legislators said. wrote.
“That so many people have lost their lives unnecessarily as a result of the failed policies of Governor Cuomo’s government – a government that has praised many people over the past year – is tragic and deserves a full investigation and accounting.”
Cruz (R-Texas) was accompanied by Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Lindsey Graham (RS.C.), John Cornyn (R-Texas), Mike Lee (R-Utah), Josh Hawley (R-Mo).), Tom Cotton (R-Ark.). ), Thom Tillis (RN.C.) and Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.).
FBI, US Attorney investigates NY GOV. CUOMO ADMINISTRATION MANAGEMENT OF NURSING CRISIS: REPORT
In their letter, the senators also said they expected Merrick Garland, President Biden’s nominated attorney general, to commit to investigating the scandal.
“When Judge Garland testifies before this committee, we expect him to commit the Department of Justice to fully investigating the cover-up to determine if any criminal laws are being violated and to prosecute offenses,” they wrote.
The policies said an investigation behind closed doors by the Department of Justice would be too slow and enable those responsible to avoid public accountability.
Cuomo spokesman Rich Azzopardi said of the Cruz request: “Every death in this pandemic is a tragedy and a disgrace to the Treason Caucus because it exploits them to distract from the ferment of the Capitol uprising that led to the death of a police officer. “
ADMINISTRATION: New York Governor Andrew Cuomo delivers his State of the Nation Address virtually from The War Room in the Capitol State, in Albany, NY
(AP)
Last week, The Post revealed that Melissa DeRosa, Cuomo’s best assistant, admitted to a group of lawmakers that they were withholding the death toll from the state’s COVID-19 nursing home for fear that the right numbers “would be used against us. “by federal prosecutors.
The report follows a bomb report by NY Attorney General Letitia James, who found that COVID-19 deaths in Empire State nursing homes were 50 percent higher than Cuomo claimed.
A post-analysis of the latest state health data showed that Cuomo’s oversight of deaths in nursing homes due to COVID-19 hid nearly 1,900 deaths in New York alone.
The outage continued on Wednesday when the House of Representatives, Ron Kim (D-Queens), received a threatening call last week from Cuomo threatening to be ‘destroyed’ if he did not help curb the crisis. .
Kim, who said he was “bathing in the midst of my children”, said Cuomo asked him to draw up a statement saying DeRosa had indeed told state lawmakers they would comply with federal prosecutors.
During the conversation, Kim said, Cuomo warned him: ‘You did not see my anger. I’ve been biting my tongue for months. ‘
CUOMO responds to democratic legislature demanding that governor destroy him: ‘Mr. KIM Lê ‘
“I can tell the whole world what a bad person you are and you will be done,” Kim said. “You will be destroyed.”
Wednesday’s letter is not the first time Cruz has expressed concern about Cuomo’s handling of the pandemic.
Last month, he tabled an amendment to the budget package that called for a DOJ inquiry to determine whether officials like Cuomo could be criminally or civilly liable to order COVID-19 patients in nursing homes.
A non-apologetic Cuomo used a press conference on Wednesday to attack both The Post and Kim Kim for exposing the scandal that engulfed his government.
After praising his leadership for months, it seems the Democrats’ patience is running out.
Nine Democratic members of the New York State Assembly on Tuesday accused Cuomo of federal obstruction of justice in a letter asking for support to deprive him of his COVID-19 emergency forces.
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During an Oval Office meeting with Cuomo on Friday following the explosive report, Biden chose not to address the scandal because it ‘was not a focal point of their conversation or a topic’, Jen Psaki said. , spokesman, said.
Durbin did not immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday.
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