Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo committed “medical malpractice” and publicly undercounted New York's coronavirus-related nursing home deaths during the worst of the deadly pandemic, a key House committee has found. This was revealed in the damning final investigation report released.
The Republican-led House Select Subcommittee's report on the coronavirus pandemic, released Monday, concluded that Cuomo “likely made false statements” about his role in pandemic decision-making.
These include that he was actually “directly involved” in the infamous March 2020 proclamation directing nursing homes to accept recovered COVID-19 patients. A July 2020 report downplayed pandemic-related resident deaths, a House committee found.
The report also cited Cuomo's contacts with former adviser James Malatras as “an attempt to improperly influence the testimony of witnesses and obstruct the special subcommittee's investigation.” “We took consistent action,” he concluded.
The House had previously released a document outlining allegations about the actions of Mr. Cuomo and his administration — but the more than 500-page final report was released by three Democratic governors who say the subcommittee harmed public health. It depicts the devastating full picture of the decision on term.
Cuomo, who denies accusations of sexual misconduct and is considering a political return to the mayoral race after resigning as governor in 2021, criticized the report as a partisan Republican witch hunt. did.
“This is the same weak porridge that MAGA Republicans on this committee have been touting for months, if not years,” said Cuomo spokesman Richard Azzopardi.
But Rep. Brad Wenstrup, R-Ohio, who chaired the committee, said in the report's opening letter that “former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo engaged in medical malpractice and concealed the total number of them from the public. He said there was bipartisan agreement on many topics, including ” Number of deaths in New York nursing homes. ”
More than 40 pages of sections of the report focus solely on Cuomo and the state's response to the pandemic. Cuomo's name appears 203 times in the report.
Some of the findings claimed in the report include:
- A directive issued by the Cuomo administration on March 25, 2020 requiring recovering COVID-19 patients to be admitted or readmitted to nursing homes is “medical malpractice” and “contrary to known science.” , which is inconsistent with federal guidelines, and the executive branch “tried to cover it up.”
- Contrary to Cuomo's denials in House testimony, he and his aides and advisers were “directly involved” in and approved the infamous directive, which was later rescinded following public backlash.
- Cuomo administration officials sought to counter criticism of the governor's March 25 proclamation by citing a controversial July 6, 2020 state Department of Health report, which states the number of nursing home residents due to the coronavirus. He testified that he had ordered the production of a report (which had been criticized for underestimating the number of deaths).
- Mr. Cuomo was directly involved in compiling the July report, and he also worked with outside government officials, including Northwell Health CEO Michael Dowling and Greater New York Hospital CEO Kenneth Rusk. He instructed people to review the report. In a memo shortly before the report's publication, obtained by a House of Commons committee, Dowling offered to help “rewrite” the report.
- Cuomo's executive branch decided to remove “out-of-facility” deaths (such as nursing home residents who died of COVID-19 after becoming ill and being taken to a hospital) from the July report. The total number of deaths decreased dramatically.
The Panel also concluded that: Andrew Cuomo likely made false statements to the Select Subcommittee in violation of 18 U.S.C. This federal crime, if proven, could carry a penalty of five years in prison.
In October, the commission announced it had referred Cuomo's “criminal false statements” to the U.S. Department of Justice for possible prosecution.
Mr. Cuomo's attorney, Mr. Azzopardi, argued that the House was seeking to remove “any perceived political opponent.”
“From the beginning, this was an abuse of power and a waste of taxpayer money meant to punish perceived political opponents like Dr. [Anthony] fauci [then Director of the National Institute of Infectious Diseases]Governor Cuomo and the 'deep state,' it will do nothing to prepare us for the next pandemic,” he said.
He claimed that New York state ranked 39th in nursing home deaths per capita in 2020, according to federal data.
“The Justice Department has found that while Manhattan prosecutors and others have investigated the nursing home issue three times and found no wrongdoing, the very same people who have been working hand in hand with this commission have committed The frivolous civil suit was dismissed by the court,'' Azzopardi added.
Families of loved ones who were nursing home residents who died from COVID-19 say Cuomo is finally being held accountable.
“Mr. Cuomo has been lying for years about following President Trump's CDC guidelines,” said Peter Arbeney, whose father, Norman, died of the virus after being released from a Brooklyn nursing home.
“If the Cuomo administration had followed President Trump.” [administration] USS Comfort Ship and Javits Center also used in accordance with CDC guidelines [for more patients]Thousands of lives would have been saved. ”
