Category: nursing home

Task Force Concludes Cuomo’s Nursing Home Policy Did Lead To More Nursing Home Deaths

Posted on by Rusty Weiss

The NYSBA (New York State Bar Association) Task Force on Nursing Homes and Long-Term Care determined that Governor Andrew Cuomo’s executive order policy forcing nursing homes to take on patients that had tested positive for COVID-19 led to more deaths.

The report is a devastating indictment on the Democrat governor’s policies and their effects on the elderly in the Empire State during the early stages of the pandemic.

The task force, according to the New York Post, defined Cuomo’s directive as “unreasonable” in both its “absoluteness” and the length of time it was left in effect.

While they were unable to put a particular number on that effect, the NYSBA was able to determine “there are credible reviews that suggest that the directive, for the approximately six weeks that it was in effect, did lead to some number of additional deaths.”

RELATED: Report: Cuomo Being Investigated For Retaliating Against Sexual Harassment Accusers

Task Force: Cuomo Nursing Home Policy Led To More Deaths

Governor Andrew Cuomo issued an executive order on March 25th which forced nursing homes to take on patients that had tested positive for coronavirus.

The order prohibited nursing homes from requiring incoming patients “to be tested for COVID-19 prior to admission or readmission.”

Cuomo’s directive remained in place for over six weeks while well over 15,000 senior citizens succumbed to the virus.

The New York Democrat and his top aides have also been accused of hiding the data on those nursing home deaths and stripping numbers from DOH (Department of Health) reports.

For months Cuomo touted a DOH report which contained an explicit quantifier that the order forcing the care facilities to take on COVID-positive patients was “not a driver of nursing home infections or fatalities.”

The NYSBA task force determined that was not accurate.

“The Department of Health issued a report in 2020 in which it argued unconvincingly that the admission of 6,326 COVID-positive residents during the period the Health directive was in effect had no impact,” the report states.

“That cannot be the case, and has now been shown not to be the case.”

RELATED: Fox News’ Janice Dean: My Family Didn’t Have To Die, Cuomo’s Policy Helped It Happen

Cuomo’s Order Cost Lives

The report that Governor Cuomo’s executive order for nursing homes did lead to more deaths is a small measure of vindication for Fox News meteorologist and author Janice Dean, who has argued for months that his policies led to the deaths of more seniors than in any other state.

She argued in an op-ed column for USA Today over the summer that very point.

Dean’s in-laws were the unfortunate victims of COVID-19, where nursing homes in New York played a significant part.

“At first we didn’t blame anyone for my in-laws’ deaths. This is a pandemic, after all,” she wrote. “Then we learned about a policy that put them in danger.”

Dean’s column featured a sub-heading arguing, “My family didn’t have to die.”

Governor Cuomo is under investigation and impeachment inquiry for a slew of scandals, not the least of which involves the nursing home executive order and subsequent effort to obstruct justice by hiding the numbers.

They include:

  • Numerous sexual misconduct allegations including a police report involving forcibly groping an aide.
  • Bullying and threatening fellow lawmakers and members of the media.
  • Under investigation for a $5.1 million book deal profiting off the pandemic by having aides write and edit portions using state resources.
  • Provided priority COVID-19 testing for his family and associates, also allegedly using state resources.

“It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out admitting over 9,000 Covid patients into nursing homes for 46 days would increase the amount of deaths, but if a 242-page report from the NY State Bar association proves [Cuomo] lied and people died, so be it,” Dean tweeted.

The Fox News personality has suggested many people in the Cuomo administration belong in prison over the nursing home scandal.

“I really feel like he should go to jail,” Dean has said. “And all these people surrounding him that covered this up for so many months, they should go to jail.”

The NYSBA report relied in part on a study by the Empire Center for Public Policy that tied “several hundred and possibly more than 1,000” deaths of nursing home residents to Cuomo’s executive order.

There is now a straight-line correlation between his policies and the deaths of the elderly during the pandemic. The question is, will anybody in New York state do anything about it?

 

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Republican Rep. Lee Zeldin Announces Gubernatorial Campaign To ‘Save New York’ From Andrew Cuomo

Posted on by Rusty Weiss

Republican Representative Lee Zeldin announced he is running for governor of New York, saying Andrew Cuomo must be ousted in order to “save our state.”

“I’m running for governor of New York in 2022,” Zeldin declared in an interview with ‘Fox & Friends.’ “We are going to win this race.”

In an accompanying statement, Zeldin vowed to “bring the kind of relentless, fighting spirit towards helping to save our state that Andrew Cuomo only reserves for multi-million dollar self-congratulatory book deals, cover-ups, abuse and self-dealing.”

And while he pointed out Cuomo’s “long line of scandals,” the Republican focused on what he has to offer the Empire State, including beating back the impacts of poor “tax policy,” “public safety,” and “attacks on our freedoms.”

Zeldin went on to suggest the current woes in New York are due to one-party Democrat rule in New York City and Albany.

RELATED: Cuomo Now Being Investigated Over $4 Million Book Deal Celebrating His Pandemic Leadership

Lee Zeldin Wants To Save New York From Cuomo

Governor Andrew Cuomo has become vulnerable of late, currently plagued by several scandals including: 

  • Forcing nursing homes to take on COVID-positive patients.
  • Obstructing justice by hiding the data on those deaths and stripping numbers from DOH reports.
  • Numerous sexual misconduct allegations including a police report involving forcibly groping an aide.
  • Bullying and threatening fellow lawmakers and members of the media.
  • Under investigation for a $4 million book deal profiting off the pandemic by having aides write and edit portions using state resources.

“Cuomo has abused the power and trust granted to him and it is time for him to immediately exit stage left,” Lee Zeldin said.

He has actively called for Cuomo’s impeachment in the face of resistance to resigning over his many scandals.

But he smartly notes that it isn’t just the details of these salacious accusations that are the problem – it’s Cuomo’s inability to competently run the state.

“The New York that was once a magnet for the world’s best and brightest is now forcing its own to leave under the crushing weight of skyrocketing taxes, lost jobs, suffocating regulations, and rising crime resulting from dangerously liberal policies,” Zeldin accused.

“At the helm of New York’s downfall is Governor Andrew Cuomo.”

RELATED: Biden’s ATF Director Wants ‘Well Regulated’ Second Amendment

Cuomo’s Budget Includes Aid To Illegal Immigrants

Speaking of skyrocketing taxes and incentives to leave the state, the New York Times on Tuesday reported that Governor Cuomo and the New York legislature had reached an agreement on a $212 billion budget.

The budget includes “tax increases” on the wealthy – or job creators – as well as “a $2.1 billion fund to provide one-time payments for undocumented workers who did not qualify for federal stimulus checks or unemployment benefits.”

New York Republican Committee Chairman Nick Langworthy released a statement blasting the budget proposal while indicating the only thing that can save New York is a new governor.

“The only thing this budget accomplishes is the accelerated decline of our state,” Langworthy said. “It’s a $212 billion dollar tax-and-spend boondoggle that will push New York’s mass exodus to the point of no return.”

“This budget makes clear that the only way to save New York is to elect a Republican governor who will stand up to this madness and return common sense to state government,” he added.

Will Lee Zeldin be the man to do that?

 

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Every Court Of Appeals Judge Who Would Vote In Cuomo Impeachment Trial Was Appointed By Him

Posted on by Rusty Weiss

Should the impeachment investigation involving Andrew Cuomo proceed to a vote, all 7 Court of Appeals judges involved will have been appointed by the New York Governor himself.

The New York state impeachment process is a bit unique in that following an impeachment vote in the Assembly, a court is formed consisting of members of the Senate as well as the seven members of the Court of Appeals, the state’s highest court.

Those judges – Rowan Wilson, Jenny Rivera, Leslie Stein, Eugene Fahey, Michael Garcia, Paul Feinman and Chief Judge Janet DiFiore – were all appointed by Cuomo between 2013 and 2017.

In an interview with NewsMax, former Rep. John Faso (R-NY) said that the Cuomo appointees are “mostly liberal … very liberal” and “they are all Democrats except one.”

“The seven judges could be instrumental in determining the outcome of a potential impeachment trial as they would make up 10% of the 70-person impeachment court,” Fox News analyzes.

RELATED: Biden Says Cuomo Should Resign, Could Face Prosecution If Sexual Harassment Allegations Are True

Impeachment Judges Appointed By Cuomo

The specter of having judges appointed by Andrew Cuomo possibly deciding the outcome of an impeachment trial for the governor is raising concerns that the process may be a sham.

Speaker of the New York State Assembly Carl Heastie has said the probe would be “very broad,” possibly including more than just the numerous sexual harassment claims against Cuomo.

Heastie announced on Wednesday that the Assembly had hired one of the nation’s top-rated law firms, Davis Polk & Wardwell, to assist with the investigation.

The group includes a former Brooklyn federal prosecutor who worked as an assistant special counsel on Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation.

Lindsey Boylan, a former Cuomo aide who was the first to accuse Cuomo of sexual misconduct, is not impressed with the investigation thus far, calling it a “sham,” “corrupt,” and “cynical” probe.

Boylan insisted she would not take part in the state-led impeachment probe.

“Do not trust [Heastie],” she tweeted. “His impeachment investigation is not designed to be transparent or to move fast, and there’s nothing [Cuomo] wants more than time.”

“Many of us have not put our whole lives on the line for this crap,” she added. “I certainly have not and will not.”

Boylan has claimed that Cuomo forcibly kissed her on the lips and suggested “let’s play strip poker.”

RELATED: NY Assembly Takes First Step Toward Impeachment Of Cuomo, Police Report Filed Over Groping Allegations

Nursing Home Whistleblower Says Staff Were ‘Petrified’ Of Cuomo’s Executive Order

The impeachment investigation is supposed to address the nursing home scandal as well, inarguably the bigger issue at hand for Cuomo.

That scandal involves an executive order by the governor forcing nursing homes to take in COVID-positive patients and the subsequent cover-up involving the number of deaths related to that order.

Cuomo, on March 25th of last year, issued an executive order prohibiting nursing homes from requiring incoming patients “to be tested for COVID-19 prior to admission or readmission.”

Cuomo refused to reverse the directive for over six weeks while well over 15,000 senior citizens succumbed to the virus.

The Political Insider reported in August that what separated New York from other states with their own nursing home directives is that the staff at the facilities felt pressured by the Governor.

Politifact confirmed the notion saying Cuomo left executives at nursing homes feeling that “they had no choice but to accept these patients” despite the threat of spreading the virus.

Michael Kraus, a Staten Island nursing home administrator, has alleged he and other executives of long-term care facilities were “petrified” of the Cuomo order and that his concerns were “shot down” by state officials.

“Many facilities vocalized it,” Kraus said in an interview with Fox News.

“They were petrified, but they were more petrified of the Department of Health … once it [my concern] was shot down, I never spoke [about it] again.”

Secretary to the Governor, Melissa DeRosa, admitted on a conference call in February that the administration hid information on COVID nursing home deaths from federal investigators.

For months the administration reported around 8,500 deaths, nearly 50% less than the confirmed number.

 

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Joe Biden Finally Breaks Silence On Sexual Harassment Accusations Against Andrew Cuomo

Posted on by John Hanson

On Sunday, President Joe Biden personally weighed in on the controversies surrounding embattled New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, saying that he would wait until the end of the investigation to give his opinion on the proper response.

As the president returned to the White House after spending the weekend in his home state of Delaware, a reporter asked Biden if he believed Cuomo should resign.

RELATED: Pelosi Refuses To Demand Cuomo Resign – Says He ‘Should Look Inside His Heart’ To See If He Can Lead Effectively

Biden: ‘I Think The Investigation Is Underway And We Should See What It Brings Us’

Biden replied, “I think the investigation is underway and we should see what it brings us.”

For weeks, President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris have remained silent on scandals that have engulfed New York’s governor even as more women have come forward to accuse Cuomo of sexual harassment.

On Friday, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said that the president and vice president believe “every woman who has come forward deserves to have her voice heard” and should “be treated with respect.”

Prominent Democrats Calling For Cuomo’s Resignation

Yet, other high profile Democrats have begun to speak out, including asking Cuomo to step down.

On Friday, Democratic Sens. Kristen Gillibrand and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer joined many New York Congressional Democrats in calling for Cuomo’s resignation.

Cuomo: ‘I’m Not Going To Resign’

But Cuomo says he’s not going anywhere.

“I’m not going to resign,” Cuomo said, adding, “I also want to be clear: There is still a question of the truth.”

“I did not do what has been alleged,” Cuomo insisted. “Period.”

RELATED: CNN Reporter Praises Biden Speech – ‘All Americans Have Been Missing’ A President That Has Empathy

Cuomo sexual harassment controversy comes in the wake of nursing home scandal

The sexual harassment accusations against Cuomo come in the wake of his office being accused of hiding the actual number of deaths in New York nursing homes due to the governor’s COVID-19 policies, which required seniors who tested positive for the virus to be allowed to enter these facilities filled with the elderly.

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NY Assembly Takes First Step Toward Impeachment Of Cuomo, Police Report Filed Over Groping Allegations

Posted on by Rusty Weiss

The New York State Assembly has taken its first step in pursuing the possible impeachment of Governor Andrew Cuomo, as calls continue to mount for his resignation.

Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie on Thursday gave the chamber a green light to open a probe which would include full subpoena power.

Democratic Assemblyman Ron Kim confirmed the move to Fox News.

“The Democratic Conference is taking the first step toward impeachment by opening an investigation with full subpoena power to obtain facts and testimonies under oath,” he said in a statement.

Kim, who has accused Cuomo of trying to help cover-up his ongoing nursing home scandal, vowing to destroy his career if he didn’t go along, said he felt the impeachment process could have begun immediately.

“Some members, including myself, argued that we had enough admission to proceed with impeachment today but the conference is leaning toward setting up the process and structure toward impeachment,” he said.

RELATED: Bill de Blasio Calls On Cuomo To Resign After Sixth Woman Comes Forward With Groping Allegations

Assembly Sets Forth on Path to Cuomo Impeachment

The Assembly’s actions in moving to possibly impeach Cuomo come as a sixth woman has come forward with sexual misconduct allegations.

The latest claim involves a female aide whose description of events – through a source with direct knowledge – could land in the category of assault. 

The Albany Times Union reports that Cuomo “aggressively groped” the woman “in a sexually charged manner” after summoning her to the Executive Chamber.

The incident allegedly involved the Democrat “reach(ing) under her blouse” and fondling her.

“The reports of accusations concerning the governor are serious,” Heastie said in a statement adding, “the committee will have the authority to interview witnesses, subpoena documents and evaluate evidence, as is allowed by the New York State Constitution.”

Cuomo, aside from the impeachment probe, is currently being investigated on multiple fronts by Democrat New York Attorney General Letitia James.

One involves a cover-up in which the administration is accused of hiding data on deaths of the elderly in nursing homes which may have been the result of the governor’s March executive order forcing the facilities to take on COVID-positive patients.

The second is an independent investigation into the numerous sexual harassment claims.

The impeachment probe is not expected to interfere with James’ investigations.

RELATED: Cuomo Lawyers Up: Executive Chamber Hires Criminal Defense Attorney Who Represented Harvey Weinstein

Police Report Filed Over Groping Allegations

Albany police also revealed Thursday they received a report from the New York State Executive Chamber about an incident with potential criminal activity.

The incident, which aligns with the new accuser’s groping allegations, involved a female aide and took place at Cuomo’s executive mansion.

The New York Times reports that the police department has not opened an official investigation, but is offering its services to the alleged victim.

The latest allegations have not only started the ball rolling on Governor Cuomo’s impeachment, but it has also prompted dozens of Democrat lawmakers to call on his resignation.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio responded to the groping allegations as “troubling” and “disgusting,” saying it’s time for Cuomo to resign.

“It is disgusting to me. And he can no longer serve as governor. It’s as simple as that,” he said.

Earlier this week, the New York governor practically dared lawmakers to impeach him.

“Cuomo told [Senate Majority Leader Andrea] Stewart-Cousins he wouldn’t quit and they would have to impeach him if they wanted him out of office,” the Associated Press reported.

 

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Fox News’ Chris Wallace Shuts Down Juan Williams After Comparing Cuomo To Trump

Posted on by John Hanson

On Sunday, Fox News host Chris Wallace laughingly shut down contributor Juan Williams, who tried to compare sexual harassment allegations against New York Governor Andrew Cuomo to those of Donald Trump. 

Williams made his comments to Wallace during a discussion of the multiple accusations against Democratic New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

Watch the segment below.

RELATED: Gaetz Questions If ‘Transition To Harris Has Already Begun’ – ‘Joe Biden’s Had More Nap Time Than He’s Had Questions From Reporters’

Wallace Asks Sunday Panel If Cuomo Can Survive

Wallace began by asking the panel if Cuomo had any path forward, considering not only the charges that he fudged the numbers of nursing homes deaths related to the COVID pandemic to make his administration look better, but also the multiple charges of sexual harassment.

Members of bother parties have called for Gov. Cuomo’s resignation or impeachment.

Wallace opened up:

“They say liberals were far too slow to recognize that Cuomo made a serious mistake when he issued this directive that seniors who were in nursing — or were in hospitals should be sent back to nursing homes and then there’s the whole question of cooking the books and they also note the fact that, it wasn’t so long ago that liberals were saying, you know, if a woman accuser comes forward — they certainly said this about Brett Kavanaugh — she must be believed.”

“Now they’re a little slower to say that, they be a lot slower, when it comes to Andrew Cuomo,” Wallace added.

“Maybe a lot slower.”

Fox News’ Juan Williams acknowledged that Cuomo’s nursing home policy had caused a larger number of deaths, but wondered if the governor had actually done anything illegal.

“I think that’s just bad decision-making,” Williams said. “I don’t know that there’s anything illegal and clearly people died and there’s a terrible price for all families who lost a loved one to pay, but it was a decision.”

“I’m still curious to what exactly anyone could say that was done illegally,” Williams added.

Williams then argued that there was a stronger case against Cuomo regarding the accusations of sexual harassment against him. 

“You’re seeing a lot of Democrats who I think are resistant to the idea of a fourth term for Governor Cuomo and who see him as a bully and who has run them over,” Williams said.

RELATED: Carville Outrageously Claims Republicans Think God Wants ‘Wealthy White People To Be First In Line To Get The Vaccine’

Williams Compares Cuomo To Trump

Williams added, “I also would say I don’t see any independent investigation of Donald Trump and he faced far more serious charges of sexual assault, you know, even more than that, and I don’t see those kinds of calls coming from Republicans.”

Wallace responded to Williams, while chuckling, “Well, yes, but on the other hand, I don’t know we could say that Donald Trump went uninvestigated over the course over his four years in the presidency between the special counsel and two impeachments.”

While Trump never had an independent legal investigation, it’s also fair to say he was investigated plenty by the media. 

A Google search on the topic brings nearly 35 million results – with some news outlets, like Business Insider and USA Today, returning results from just weeks before the 2020 election.

The Independent even tackled the subject after Election Day.

Watch the segment here:

 

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Walls Closing In? Cuomo Administration Under Investigation Nursing Home Cover-Up

Posted on by Rusty Weiss

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo is under investigation by the FBI and a United States attorney in Brooklyn for his administration’s possible cover-up of a COVID-related nursing home scandal.

The Times Union in Albany is reporting that an investigation has been launched “examining, at least in part, the actions of Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo’s coronavirus task force in its handling of nursing homes and other long-term care facilities during the pandemic.”

The newspaper notes that there have been no allegations of wrongdoing and that the investigation “is in its early stages.”

Focus appears to be on Governor Cuomo’s coronavirus task force whose more prominent members include New York State Health Commissioner Howard Zucker and Secretary to the Governor Melissa DeRosa.

DeRosa has been the subject of much consternation after she admitted in a conference call that the administration hid information on COVID nursing home deaths from federal investigators.

RELATED: Cuomo Threatens Democrat State Legislators Over COVID Nursing Home Scandal

Cuomo Under Investigation For Nursing Home Scandal

The New York Times reported that attorney general Letitia James, a Democrat, accused Cuomo and his administration, particularly officials at the State Health Department, of undercounting COVID deaths at nursing homes by as much as 50%.

The New York Post followed that up with a revelation that DeRosa told leading Democrats in a conference call that they did so because the administration feared the data could “be used against us” by the Justice Department saying, “basically, we froze.”

“We were in a position where we weren’t sure if what we were going to give to the Department of Justice, or what we give to you guys, what we start saying, was going to be used against us while we weren’t sure if there was going to be an investigation,” DeRosa added.

State officials had originally given a figure of about 8,677, and media frequently reported around 6,000 because that was all that could be confirmed based on the scant data already released.

WWNY News reports that the number was actually well over 15,000 seniors who died in nursing homes.

Why the cover-up? Most likely because there was a direct link between those deaths and the actions of the Governor.

Cuomo famously issued an executive order in March forcing nursing homes to take on patients that had tested positive for coronavirus.

RELATED: NY Democrats Accuse Cuomo Of Lying As He Tries To Defend Handling Of Nursing Home Scandal

The Cover-up Continues

Multiple New York state Democrats – that’s Democrats – have accused the administration of criminal conduct in the nursing home scandal cover-up.

Fox News reports that nine Democratic New York State Assembly members signed a letter accusing Cuomo of obstruction of justice.

“We implore you to set aside any concerns of loyalty or disloyalty to this Governor, or that this matter is politicized,” the letter from earlier this week reads.

“We must absolutely consider above all the sanctity of the democratic institution that we call the Legislature of the State of New York, and resolutely pursue justice in the face of an executive who we can say without hesitation has engaged in intentional criminal wrongdoing.”

The obstruction continues though, unabated.

Rich Azzopardi, a spokesman for the governor, told the Times Union, “We have been cooperating with them (the DOJ) and we will continue to.”

The Associated Press, however, reports that officials with knowledge of the DOJ investigation “said the Cuomo administration had not been cooperative with prosecutors … and for months had not produced documents and other data the Justice Department had requested.”

And when obstruction doesn’t seem to be working, Team Cuomo shifts to intimidation.

The governor has been accused of threatening political retaliation against several New York state lawmakers who have criticized him for his handling of the nursing home scandal.

State Assemblyman Ron Kim claims that Cuomo called him and tried to talk Kim into issuing a statement covering for DeRosa. And when that didn’t work, he vowed to ruin Kim’s career.

Kim reported that the Democrat governor stated “we’re in this business together and we don’t cross certain lines,” adding that he “hadn’t seen his wrath” and that “I can destroy you.”

Fox News meteorologist Janice Dean, one of the few voices to continually hound Governor Cuomo over the nursing home scandal for months on end, said “people should go to jail” over the cover-up.

Dean used Cuomo’s own words about former President Donald Trump and turned them around on the Democrat.

Dean’s in-laws were victims of COVID-19, where nursing homes in New York played a part.

She has, at times, described Cuomo as a “criminal.”

While an investigation by the FBI and a U.S. attorney, along with fellow Democrats piling on seems to indicate the walls are closing in on Cuomo, we wouldn’t hold our breath just yet.

This is the same FBI whose highest-ranking officials tried to destroy the country by subverting the will of the people when they dared elect Trump to office in 2016.

The same FBI that failed to prosecute Hillary Clinton for a crime many people have been thrown in jail for.

Will their ongoing left-leaning agenda interfere in another investigation?

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Democrat Lawmakers Slam Cuomo, Accuse Him Of Lying As He Tries To Defend Administration’s Handling Of Nursing Home Scandal

Posted on by Rusty Weiss

Several Democrat lawmakers lashed out at Andrew Cuomo after the New York Governor attempted to defend himself in the middle of an explosive nursing home scandal.

During a press conference over the holiday weekend, Cuomo sought to clarify bombshell remarks made by Melissa DeRosa, secretary to the governor, in which she admitted in a conference call that the administration hid information on COVID nursing home deaths from federal investigators.

The New York Post first reported that DeRosa told leading Democrats that the administration feared the data could “be used against us” by the Justice Department.

After former President Trump directed “the Department of Justice to do an investigation into us,” the Cuomo aide said, “basically, we froze.”

“We were in a position where we weren’t sure if what we were going to give to the Department of Justice, or what we give to you guys, what we start saying, was going to be used against us while we weren’t sure if there was going to be an investigation,” DeRosa added.

RELATED: GOP Rep. Calls For Cuomo To Be Prosecuted For Withholding Alleged COVID Nursing Home Deaths

Democrats Call Out Cuomo as a Liar Over Nursing Home Defense

The New York Times reported that attorney general Letitia James, a Democrat, accused Cuomo and his administration, particularly officials at the State Health Department, of undercounting COVID deaths at nursing homes by as much as 50%.

State officials had originally given a figure of about 8,677.

WWNY News reports that the number was actually well over 15,000 seniors who died in nursing homes.

Governor Cuomo famously issued an executive order in March forcing nursing homes to take on patients that had tested positive for coronavirus.

In the midst of his defense, Governor Cuomo claimed that the DOJ and state legislature had both requested data and that he simply chose to prioritize the information finding-task to address the federal matter.

This statement ruffled some feathers: “We gave precedence to the DOJ. We told the assembly that, we told the Senate that and that’s what we did.”

But multiple Democrats said that isn’t true.

New York State Sen. Jessica Ramos replied to Cuomo’s claim by calling it “trash.”

“At no point did the Administration notify the legislature about a DOJ investigation,” she added in another tweet. “People died and Cuomo lied then he had the gall to write a book.”

Democrat New York state senator Alessandra Biaggi also suggests Cuomo was lying.

“No, [Governor Cuomo], you did not tell the *entire* Senate or Assembly that there was a DOJ investigation, as the reason why you didn’t share the nursing home numbers,” she tweeted.

“I found out about a DOJ investigation with the rest of NY’ers in the [New York Post] story Thursday night.”

And there were plenty more who called out the lie on social media.

RELATED: GOP Congressman Reed Announces Plan To File Criminal Complaint Against Cuomo Aide Over Nursing Home Deaths

Calls For Criminal Investigation Continue

Fox News meteorologist Janice Dean, one of the few voices to continually hound Governor Cuomo over the nursing home scandal for months on end, said “people should go to jail” over the cover-up.

Dean’s in-laws were victims of COVID-19, where nursing homes in New York played a part.

She reiterated that call by describing Cuomo as a “criminal.”

She wasn’t the only one, as several lawmakers on both sides of the political aisle demanded subpoenas be submitted in getting to the bottom of the cover-up.

“I reiterate my call for [Cuomo] and his administration to be subpoenaed for all pertinent information,” Ramos tweeted. “We need answers and grieving families deserve justice. Enough with the spin.”

Cuomo has continually denied that his office withheld or misrepresented data relating to nursing home deaths.

“New York State DOH fully and publicly reported all COVID deaths in nursing homes and hospitals,” he said at the press conference, a direct contradiction of Democrat AG James’ findings.

It looks like even his own party isn’t buying into the spin any longer.

The post Democrat Lawmakers Slam Cuomo, Accuse Him Of Lying As He Tries To Defend Administration’s Handling Of Nursing Home Scandal appeared first on The Political Insider.

Andrew Cuomo Aide: To Avoid Federal Investigation, New York Hid COVID-19 Nursing Home Deaths

Posted on by John Hanson

A top aide to New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said her team withheld the number nursing home COVID-19 deaths to protect Cuomo government from federal investigation and criticism.

On Thursday, the New York Post reported that New York’s secretary to the governor, Melissa DeRosa, apologized to Democrat state leaders for “political” damage caused by the Cuomo administration’s suppression of information.

RELATED: Lindsey Graham Predicts ‘Not Guilty’ Impeachment Votes Are Growing After ‘Absurd’ Arguments From Democrats

DeRosa: Cuomo’s Government Suppressed Statistics

DeRosa said Cuomo’s team were worried about a federal investigation after former President Donald Trump pointed to the high number of coronavirus-related deaths in New York nursing homes.

This was detailed in a recorded call with state Democrat lawmakers.

According top DeRosa, this concern caused Cuomo’s team to suppress the statistics against requests for such information.

Team Cuomo put protecting the governor above transparency.

This was the conclusion drawn by Democratic Assemblyman Ron Kim, who took part in the conference call.

‘They admitted that they were trying to dodge having any incriminating evidence…’

“They had to first make sure that the state was protected against federal investigation.” Kim told the New York Post.

He said DeRosa’s comments sounded “like they admitted that they were trying to dodge having any incriminating evidence that might put the administration or the [Health Department] in further trouble with the Department of Justice.”

“That’s how I understand their reasoning of why they were unable to share, in real time, the data,” Kim said.

DeRosa apologized to state Democrats for how this all went down. 

“So we do apologize,” DeRose said. “I do understand the position that you were put in. I know that it is not fair. It was not our intention to put you in that political position with the Republicans.”

Republican Rep. Lee Zeldin had made an earlier call for an obstruction of justice investigation into Gov. Cuomo.

The Democrat-friendly mainstream media had praised Cuomo’s conduct as governor during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

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AP: New Info Could Be ‘A Potential Blow To (Cuomo’s) Image As A Pandemic Hero’

Gov. Cuomo even wrote a book, “American Crisis: Leadership Lessons from the COVID-19 Pandemic.”  

The total number to date of nursing home deaths related to coronavirus is 15,049, according to New York’s latest information.

The Associated Press wondered whether the Cuomo’s administration’s underreporting of nursing home deaths dealt “a potential blow to his image as a pandemic hero.”

The post Andrew Cuomo Aide: To Avoid Federal Investigation, New York Hid COVID-19 Nursing Home Deaths appeared first on The Political Insider.

Republican Elise Stefanik Wants ‘Independent Investigation’ Into Cuomo’s Nursing Home Policies

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Republican New York Representative Elise Stefanik is calling for an “independent investigation” into Democratic New York Governor Andrew Cuomo’s nursing home policies.

Stefanik Think Gov. Cuomo’s Bad Policy Led to More Deaths and Flawed Data

Stefanik said Tuesday that an investigation is necessary after reports suggested that her state was undercounting the number of COVID-19-related deaths in assisted living facilities.

New York leads the country in nursing home deaths, with over 5,000 reported.

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Stefanik told Fox News’ “Fox & Friends“ on Tuesday, “New York has mismanaged how we have approached and how we’ve protected our seniors in our nursing homes. We knew, going into this, that our most vulnerable are our seniors and particularly in those assisted living facilities, whether they’re senior living facilities or nursing homes.”

Cuomo originally required nursing homes to admit COVID-19 patients, but the governor reversed that policy in early May.

“New York, when compared to other states, took a number of negative actions that cost over 5,000 lives,” Stefanik said. “They also didn’t fully tell the public how many seniors’ deaths there were coming from nursing homes. So that reporting data, they didn’t count the hospital deaths when there was a positive case that was transmitted because of the senior nursing home.”

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Stefanik: ‘It’s not just Republicans who are calling for this independent investigation. It’s Democrats as well’

Stefanik also said that she does not believe a fair investigation will happen if directed by current Democratic New York Attorney General Letitia James.

“I’ve heard from families who are still grieving for loss of their loved ones and they deserve answers,” Stefanik said. “And it’s not just Republicans who are calling for this independent investigation. It’s Democrats as well.”

“It cannot be conducted by New York’s attorney general either,” she added. “It needs to be an independent investigation.”

“I’m calling for the Department of HHS to conduct this independent investigation, but I think it needs to come from the federal government,” Stefanik finished.

The post Republican Elise Stefanik Wants ‘Independent Investigation’ Into Cuomo’s Nursing Home Policies appeared first on The Political Insider.