Cuomo to Testify on COVID Orders, Nursing Home Deaths as Spox Predicts a "Master Class in Gaslighting"

The congressional subcommittee investigating the coronavirus pandemic will hold a hearing with former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo on September 10, as announced on Tuesday.

During the pandemic, Cuomo, a prominent governor, faced criticism for imposing strict social and economic limitations across New York.

In addition to being blamed for thousands of COVID-related deaths in nursing homes, a 2023 report from the NYS Department of Health found that 826 deaths occurred in Suffolk County, 813 in Erie County, which includes Buffalo, and 623 in Queens County.

The hearing will focus on questioning Mr. Cuomo about the unscientific guidance issued by his Administration that required nursing homes and long-term care facilities to admit COVID-19 positive patients.

The subcommittee previously interviewed Cuomo, a Democrat, for a seven-hour transcribed interview, as well as his former secretary, Melissa DeRosa, and then-NYS Health Commissioner Dr. Howard Zucker.

In an interview on Tuesday, Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, R-N.Y., stated that Cuomo continues to evade taking responsibility for his orders and their consequences, despite sitting on the subcommittee.

No one in Albany could identify the precise origin of the order partitioning nursing home patients.

The governor claims that Zucker knew about the directive before it was issued, but they have been unable to identify who approved it and issued it, which is negligent for a directive like that to go out without the health commissioner's approval at minimum.

The lawmaker from New York highlighted the presence of a military medical ship in New York Harbor, the Jacob Javits Center, and a mental hospital in her district for treating and dividing severe COVID-19 patients.

"The directive to force the nursing home to take COVID positive patients, despite alternatives, was a failure because the directive was not being used at the time."

According to Malliotakis, many people in her district had lost loved ones due to "avoidable deaths" caused by the pandemic.

The directive and mandate by the Cuomo administration led to the placement of COVID-positive patients in nursing homes, resulting in the outbreaks. The responsibility for this lies with the Cuomo administration, and they must be held accountable.

"He shifted blame onto everyone else, refusing to offer an apology or take responsibility. There was no remorse, and the public demanded answers. We will fight for them at this hearing."

A Cuomo spokesman stated that the former governor's handling of COVID is clear from the facts, and that congressional Republicans' oversight is an example of gaslighting.

According to Rich Azzopardi, New York had a lower nursing home death rate per capita than all but 11 states.

Azzopardi accused the committee of being a "farce" and criticized its members, including Chairman Brad Wenstrup, R-Ohio, who is "Trump's personal physician," former White House doctor; current Rep. Ronny Jackson, R-Texas, and "a representative with a Ph.D. in QAnon," in regard to Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga.

Azzopardi stated that the committee refuses to examine their own anti-science policies that resulted in hundreds of thousands of unnecessary deaths and did not call the most relevant witness, Donald Trump, who was supposed to lead the entire effort.

During his tenure, Cuomo faced scrutiny from the media regarding the matter. In a significant moment during a July 2020 press conference, the governor was queried about a state report on nursing homes and the reason for not appointing an independent investigator.

Cuomo countered the reporter's characterization, stating that he believed it was a political issue.

The New York Post and Planet Chronicle, along with political motivations, were blamed by Cuomo for the issue's prominence.

"Nursing homes have seen deaths, which is unfortunate. As a matter of fact, we rank 35th in the country in terms of nursing home deaths. Before you start, consider talking to the 34 other states that have lower rates."

During the pandemic, Cuomo faced criticism for interviews with his brother Chris on CNN. In one exchange, the siblings joked about Andrew's large nostrils by brandishing comically-large nasal swabs.