Enraged families of COVID-19 victims are calling for former Gov. Andrew Cuomo to face charges after recently surfaced emails contradicted what he told a congressional panel about nursing home deaths.
Peter Arbeeny, Vivian Zayas, and Janice Dean are asking the US Department of Justice to probe Cuomo, arguing he lied to congressional investigators about a state report that lowballed deaths in nursing homes at the height of the pandemic.
Cuomo had initially claimed he had not seen the report, but a bombshell new report appeared to show that he not only knew about the report but had edited it himself.
“We call on the Department of Justice to launch a full and fair investigation into Andrew Cuomo’s statements to Congress, his coordination with other witnesses and his role in covering up the nursing home death toll,” the trio wrote in a statement, obtained by The Post
“If it is found that he knowingly misled Congress and the American people or interfered with the congressional inquiry, he must be held accountable under the law,” the statement went on. “The families who lost loved ones deserve the truth, and the public deserves to know that no one is above the law, especially those entrusted with public office.”
In June, Cuomo had downplayed any involvement in a state Department of Health report released in July 2020 that undercounted the number of nursing home deaths when questioned by the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic.
But uncovered emails in a New York Times report showed that Cuomo had been suggesting edits to the report prior to its release, inserting language that blamed nursing home staff and visiting families for spreading the virus and contributing to the deaths.
A Cuomo spokesperson said the latest criticism was politicizing the pandemic.
“We are long past the point of absurd,” Cuomo spokesperson Rich Azzopardi told The Post in a statement Sunday.
“We sympathize with every one of the 1 million-plus families who lost loved ones, but the continued attempts to purposefully distort and politically weaponize this pandemic are both transparent and sad.”
Cuomo hadn’t been sworn in under oath for his testimony, but officials told him he could be prosecuted if he knowingly made false statements, according to a transcript of the closed-doors session.
Democratic politicians also called on Cuomo to face more accountability.
“I’ve stood with the families of nursing homes and will continue to stand with them to hold the former governor accountable,” said Assemblyman Ron Kim (D-Queens) an outspoken Cuomo critic.
“Andrew Cuomo has consistently lied and gaslit the public in pursuit of his book deal and political ambitions,” Kim added. “Now, we must hold him accountable and seize this opportunity to fix our broken long-term care system.”
City Councilman Lincoln Restler wrote in a statement said it was clear Cuomo’s testimony before the House was “misleading and inaccurate.”
“Time and again, he reveals himself to be someone New Yorkers cannot trust and who does not belong in public office,” Restler said.
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