New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, whose orders during the peak of COVID-19 that nursing homes take patients who tested positive, possibly killing thousands, hid the real numbers of deaths not only from the public but the federal government, too, according to a confession from an aide.
The New York Post reported the "stunning admission" came from Melissa DeRosa, the secretary to the governor, during a telephone call with Democratic lawmakers.
She said the administration refused a legislative request for a tally "right around the same time [when President Donald Trump] turns this into a giant political football," she said, according to an audio recording obtained by the Post.
"He starts tweeting that we killed everyone in nursing homes," DeRosa said. "He starts going after [New Jersey Gov. Phil] Murphy, starts going after [California Gov. Gavin] Newsom, starts going after [Michigan Gov.] Gretchen Whitmer."
She said "basically, we froze," when Trump directed "the Department of Justice to do an investigation into us."
"Because then 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," she said.
Cuomo aide admits they hid nursing home data so feds wouldn't find out https://t.co/lbH53CORKv pic.twitter.com/OX94iKM0gn
— New York Post (@nypost) February 11, 2021
The reaction took almost no time to develop.
Fox reported that U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., called for Cuomo and his senior team to be "prosecuted immediately," both at the state and federal levels.
"Governor Cuomo, the secretary to the governor, and his senior team must be prosecuted immediately – both by the attorney general of New York state and the U.S. Department of Justice," Stefanik said. "This bombshell admission of a cover-up and the remarks by the secretary to the governor indicating intent to obstruct any federal investigation is a stunning and criminal abuse of power."
"Instead of apologizing or providing answer to the thousands of New York families who lost loved ones, the governor’s administration made apologies to politicians behind closed doors for the ‘political inconvenience’ this scandal has caused them," said New York State Sen. Rob Ortt, who demanded a "top to bottom" investigation and that Cuomo’s emergency powers be stripped until it’s sorted out.
"If the governor is involved, he should be immediately removed from office," Ortt said.
My Statement on the bombshell @nypost reporting on Cuomo’s cover-up
— Elise Stefanik (@EliseStefanik) February 12, 2021
Governor Cuomo and his administration must be investigated from top to bottom and he must be stripped of his emergency powers.
Justice needs to be brought for the grieving families who have been ignored to protect Governor Cuomo and his Democrat allies in the Legislature. pic.twitter.com/N4B2c77u3w
— Rob Ortt (@SenatorOrtt) February 12, 2021
DeRosa also then asked the lawmakers to have “a little bit of appreciation of the context” surrounding the Cuomo administration’s reporting of COVID-19 nursing home deaths.
"So we do apologize," DeRosa reportedly 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."
It was March 25 when Cuomo demanded nursing homes accept patients returning from hospitals, even those who tested positive for COVID, or those whose status was unknown.
The state then changed its procedures so that it counted as nursing home deaths only those who died while physically in a nursing home. Anyone transported to a hospital, who died, was not counted.
The Daily Caller News Foundation reported more than 9,000 recovering COVID-19 patients were released into New York nursing homes under the order.
In August, Cuomo was claiming, "Look at the basic facts where New York is versus other states. You look at where New York is as a percentage of nursing home deaths, it’s all the way at the bottom of the list."
But the Cuomo administration did reveal in January that at least 12,743 nursing home residents died from COVID, 50% higher that the state's official tally.
"Whether a person died in a hospital or died in a nursing home, it’s the people dying. People died," Cuomo said in January. "Who cares? … died in a hospital, died in a nursing home. They died."
Gov. Cuomo’s aide just admitted that they purposely hid nursing home data from the feds.
We first reported that @NYGovCuomo’s health dept. was undercounting nursing home deaths back in May.
This is what other media orgs were doing
pic.twitter.com/n2XJZYhITk— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) February 12, 2021
Assemblyman Ron Kim, D-Queens, was on the call, and reportedly told the Post DeRosa's comments were "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.
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