The congressional committee investigating the COVID pandemic sent a criminal referral to the Justice Department recommending former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo be charged with making false statements to Congress. The committee said he lied repeatedly and that they have witness testimony and documents to prove it.
According to the committee, Cuomo lied when he said he wasn’t involved in the review or drafting of a New York Department of Health report regarding nursing home deaths. The committee said it has overwhelming evidence to prove Cuomo reviewed, edited and drafted portions of the report himself.
“Andrew Cuomo repeatedly lied to Congress, and he must be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law,” Rep. Brad Wenstrup, R-Ohio, stated.
“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,” Wenstrup said. “This deliberate and self-serving attempt to avoid accountability for the thousands of lives lost in New York nursing homes during the pandemic will not stand.”
This goes back to the Cuomo administration’s 2020 mandate that required nursing homes and long-term care facilities to admit COVID-19-positive patients. By the end of the pandemic, more than 17,000 long-term care patients died.
In July 2020, the New York State Department of Health released a report that said nursing home staff were to blame. The committee said its evidence showed Cuomo helped write that report.
In January 2021, New York’s attorney general said Cuomo’s administration underreported long-term care deaths by up to 50%.
The problems for Cuomo continued in January 2021, when New York’s attorney general said Cuomo’s administration underreported long-term care deaths by up to 50%.
Lying to Congress carries a potential five year prison sentence but those accused are rarely charged.
For instance, Republicans referred attorney Michael Avenatti for allegedly lying about Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh. However, he was never charged.
Donald Trump’s former lawyer Michael Cohen was sentenced to three years for making false statements in 2017. Former MLB star pitcher Roger Clemens was acquitted in 2012 of charges he lied about performance enhancing drugs.
