DOJ investigating Andrew Cuomo for false testimony over COVID deaths

The Justice Department has launched an investigation into former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo for allegedly lying to Congress about his role in knowingly causing thousands of senior deaths during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Cuomo has been blamed for the deaths of an estimated 4,000 seniors by knowingly ordering the transfer of COVID-19-infected patients to skilled nursing facilities. A report from New York Attorney General Letitia James later found that he had obscured the data to hide the deaths. Last year, House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-KY) said there was “overwhelming evidence” that Cuomo had participated in an audit that undercounted COVID nursing home deaths by 46%.

On Tuesday, the New York Times reported that the DOJ is investigating Cuomo for allegedly falsely testifying to Congress about the scandal. The probe was launched last month by Ed Martin, who then served as the interim US Attorney in Washington, DC. The Times cited “two sources familiar with the matter,” though the DOJ refused to confirm or deny the investigation.

The mayoral candidate boasts about his record

The investigation could complicate Cuomo’s bid for mayor of New York City, for which he is currently the Democrat party's favorite. Since he launched his campaign in March, Cuomo has repeatedly boasted about his response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It was the greatest health crisis in our history—and when New Yorkers were desperate for leadership—Andrew Cuomo delivered,” a Cuomo campaign ad said this week. “He didn’t just provide information in those daily COVID briefings — he acted — building emergency hospitals and deploying first responders. And he provided hope — that we’d pull through this…together.”

Cuomo announced his resignation in August 2021 amid sexual harassment accusations. Before leaving office, he spent $5.1 million in taxpayer funds to publish a self-congratulatory book about his handling of the pandemic.

Wasteful spending on equipment

A recent audit by New York Comptroller Tom DiNapoli found that the Cuomo administration spent $453 million on medical equipment during the COVID-19 pandemic that went unused. The state bought 247,343 medical devices, including CPAP/BiPAP machines, ventilators, oxygen tanks, pulse oximeters, oxygen concentrators, and infusion pumps. The state used just three devices, amounting to 0.000012% of the stockpile.

The $453 million purchase was done on the advice of the McKinsey Company, for which the state had paid a $5 million consulting fee. Rather than sell the unused devices to recoup taxpayer funds, the state has kept them languishing in storage for five years.

An exaggerated fear campaign

The unused medical stockpile is the latest evidence that Cuomo exaggerated the danger of the virus. Even as he claimed that hospitals were reportedly being “overrun,” Cuomo sent away the USHS Comfort, a hospital vessel sent by President Trump to assist with the excess hospitalizations. Cuomo said the need for it did not match projections. There were also thousands of available beds at the Jacob Javits Convention Center that went unused.

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