The House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic plans to refer former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo to the Department of Justice, alleging he misled Congress about his involvement in the state’s COVID-19 nursing home report. The Republican-led committee claims Cuomo orchestrated a “conscious, calculated effort” to avoid accountability for nursing home deaths.
Rep. Brad Wenstrup (R-OH), chair of the subcommittee, signed the referral letter, which points to evidence indicating Cuomo reviewed and contributed to early drafts of a New York health department report, despite his testimony suggesting otherwise. The ranking Democrat on the subcommittee, Rep. Raul Ruiz (D-CA), chose not to endorse the referral.
🚨The Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic is referring Former New York Governor Andrew M. Cuomo for criminal prosecution.
Evidence suggests Andrew Cuomo knowingly and willfully made materially false statements about New York’s COVID-19 nursing home disaster and the… pic.twitter.com/kJrOQpXHLn
— Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic (@COVIDSelect) October 31, 2024
Cuomo’s attorney, Sarah A. Sulkowski, fired back with a letter to the DOJ, condemning the subcommittee’s actions as politically motivated and accusing it of coordination with Fox News personality Janice Dean, who has criticized Cuomo’s COVID-19 policies. Sulkowski labeled the referral a “misuse of government resources.”
The controversy dates to March 2020, when Cuomo’s directive required nursing homes to admit COVID-19-positive patients. A 2021 report by New York Attorney General Letitia James revealed that over 4,000 nursing home residents died following the directive. The report indicated that some facilities had no prior COVID-19 cases before the order took effect.
Cuomo’s congressional testimony in June 2020 also faces renewed scrutiny. During his testimony, Cuomo denied altering COVID-19 death data to underreport nursing home fatalities—a claim initially investigated by the Daily Caller News Foundation in 2020.
Evidence now shows what we’ve known all along: Governor Andrew Cuomo willfully lied to Congress about New York’s COVID nursing home disaster.
Referring him for criminal prosecution is the critical next step to finally holding him accountable.
If the DOJ doesn’t immediately… https://t.co/7KCWuty5VE
— Steve Scalise (@SteveScalise) October 31, 2024
Rumors of Cuomo’s potential return to politics, including a possible New York City mayoral run, add further complexity to his current legal challenges. With Mayor Eric Adams under federal investigation, speculation about Cuomo’s comeback persists, though his record on COVID-19 nursing home policies remains a contentious topic.
