WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Division has opened a felony investigation into former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo after congressional Republicans beneficial that he be charged with mendacity over his dealing with of the COVID-19 pandemic, an individual conversant in the matter stated Tuesday.
The investigation by the U.S. legal professional’s workplace in Washington follows a referral from Rep. James Comer, Republican chairman of the Home Committee on Oversight and Authorities Reform, over statements Cuomo made to lawmakers investigating his administration of the pandemic when the virus was spreading by means of nursing properties, the individual stated. They spoke on the situation of anonymity as a result of they weren’t approved to publicly focus on an ongoing investigation.
The investigation plunges the Justice Division but once more into New York politics as Cuomo runs for New York Metropolis mayor. It comes simply months after federal prosecutors deserted a corruption case towards New York Mayor Eric Adams — Cuomo’s opponent within the mayoral race — citing a want to free Adams as much as cooperate with the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.
A spokesperson for Cuomo stated Tuesday that the previous governor was by no means knowledgeable of any such investigation.
“So why would somebody leak it now? The reply is apparent: That is lawfare and election interference plain and easy — one thing President Trump and his high Division of Justice officers say they’re towards,” Cuomo spokesperson Wealthy Azzopardi stated in an e-mail.
Azzopardi added, “Governor Cuomo testified in truth to the most effective of his recollection about occasions from 4 years earlier, and he supplied to deal with any follow-up questions from the Subcommittee — however from the start this was all transparently political.”
The investigation was first reported Tuesday by The New York Occasions. The Justice Division declined Tuesday to remark. Spokespeople for the U.S. legal professional’s workplace in Washington didn’t instantly reply to messages searching for remark.
The inquiry additionally topics the division to claims that it’s pursuing retribution towards political adversaries. The brand new chief of the U.S. legal professional’s workplace in Washington, Jeanine Pirro, ran unsuccessfully towards Cuomo for New York legal professional normal in 2006 and has been a harsh critic within the years since, publicly accusing him of a coverup of nursing house deaths. The Justice Division individually has launched a mortgage fraud investigation into New York Legal professional Normal Letitia James, who sued Trump for civil fraud.
The investigation into Cuomo revisits a years-old, politically divisive query over the then-governor’s dealing with of the COVID-19 pandemic in nursing properties. Republicans have zeroed in on a controversial directive his administration issued in March 2020 that originally barred nursing properties from refusing to just accept sufferers simply because that they had had COVID-19. Greater than 9,000 recovering coronavirus sufferers have been launched from hospitals into nursing properties underneath the directive, which was rescinded amid hypothesis that it had accelerated outbreaks.
Comer referred Cuomo to the Justice Division for attainable felony prosecution final month, alleging that he made false statements to lawmakers throughout a listening to final 12 months targeted on his decision-making.
Cuomo adamantly defended himself through the listening to, blaming the sooner Trump administration for failing to supply sufficient testing and private protecting gear within the early days of the pandemic. “These are all diversions guilty New York and different states for the culpability of the federal response, which was malpractice,” Cuomo stated.
However Comer asserted that Cuomo had lied through the listening to. He cited what he stated was proof of Cuomo’s direct involvement in a state report that the congressman stated “low-balled” nursing house fatalities.