Clermont Times

Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic Chairman Brad Wenstrup has referred former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo to the Department of Justice for potential criminal charges. The referral alleges that Cuomo made false statements to Congress regarding New York's COVID-19 nursing home crisis and subsequent cover-up efforts.

The subcommittee claims to have gathered substantial evidence indicating that Cuomo was involved in reviewing, editing, and drafting parts of a report by the New York State Department of Health. This report allegedly understated nursing home fatalities and attributed excess COVID-19 deaths to staff rather than policy directives from Cuomo's administration. Despite this, during a June interview, Cuomo denied involvement in the report's creation or review.

Chairman Wenstrup stated, "Andrew Cuomo repeatedly lied to Congress, and he must be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law. Both witness testimony and new documents serve as evidence that the former Governor made false statements to the Select Subcommittee during our COVID-19 nursing home investigation."

A timeline related to this issue shows that on March 25, 2020, a directive was issued by Cuomo’s administration requiring nursing homes to admit patients with COVID-19. On July 6, 2020, a state health department report suggested staff were responsible for increased deaths. In January 2021, an investigative report by New York State Attorney General Letitia James alleged underreporting of nursing home fatalities by up to 50%.

The subcommittee began investigating in May 2023 and interviewed several former state officials. After negotiations with Cuomo’s legal team failed, a subpoena for his testimony was announced in March 2024. Following his interview in June where he denied involvement with the health department report, further evidence contradicting his statements emerged.

On September 9, 2024, a memo detailing evidence against Cuomo was released. His attorney raised objections which led to further questioning of witnesses. A hearing on September 10 saw Cuomo held accountable publicly for pandemic-era failures in New York.

The referral sent on October 30 calls for DOJ evaluation of possible criminal charges against Cuomo for false statements.