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House lawmakers threaten to subpoena ex-NY Gov. Cuomo for COVID nursing home documents
By
Caroline Lewis
Published Oct 14, 2023
Modified Oct 15, 2023
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Photo by ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images
By
Caroline Lewis
Published Oct 14, 2023
Modified Oct 15, 2023
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Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is once again facing scrutiny for his nursing home policies early in the coronavirus pandemic, including his directive requiring nursing homes to accept patients who were being discharged from the hospital.
This time, the investigation is being led by a bipartisan congressional panel called the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic.
The committee sent Cuomo a letter this week requesting that he produce documents related to his administration’s COVID policies by Tuesday, Oct. 17 – and threatening to subpoena the former governor if he doesn’t comply. The group originally requested the documents in May.
Both letters were signed by Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, a Staten Island Republican, and Rep. Brad Wenstrup, an Ohio Republican who chairs the committee.
“The goal of the Select Subcommittee is to perform an after action report and postmortem of the response to the COVID-19 pandemic,” the October letter said. “By investigating the events that took place during the pandemic, we seek to learn what worked and what did not in an effort to better protect the nation in the future. Accordingly, the Select Subcommittee will not tolerate any further delay to its investigation.”
Cuomo’s spokesperson Richard Azzopardi called the inquiry a "farce."
He said the data the committee wants “is with the state,” and noted that multiple other government entities had already reviewed it.
“Once again, it's unfortunate that some DC politicians are seeking to transparently weaponize people's pain to advance a political agenda," Azzopardi added.
In February 2021, New York Attorney General Letitia James’ office published a report that found Cuomo’s administration was undercounting COVID-19 deaths in nursing homes by about 50%. The state Assembly released a report that November, which alleged that Cuomo committed sexual misconduct and misled the public about the nursing home deaths. State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli followed up with his own report in March 2022, in which he indicated that Cuomo’s administration undercounted the number of COVID-19 deaths in nursing homes by at least 4,100.
The Cuomo administration denied the accusations, Azzopardi said.
The U.S. Department of Justice also reviewed information on Cuomo’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic in nursing homes, but said in July 2021 that it would not pursue a full investigation into the issue.
This story has been updated with additional comment from Cuomo spokesperson Richard Azzopardi.
Tagged
new york state
Politics
andrew cuomo
Caroline Lewis
Caroline Lewis is on the health care beat for WNYC and Gothamist. She has covered COVID, a nurses' strike, the overdose crisis and New York’s marijuana legalization effort, and spent a year investigating patients' medical bills. She always wants to hear about how everyday New Yorkers experience the health system. Got a tip? Email [email protected].
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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