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AOC calls for full investigation of Andrew Cuomo, rattled NY Gov calls nursing home cover-up ‘lies’ in long rant

On Friday Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez called for a 'full investigation’ into the nursing home scandal that accused Andrew Cuomo's administration of covering up New York's nursing home Covid-19 deaths

BY PRIYANKA SUNDAR

PUBLISHED FEB 19, 2021

New York Gov Andrew Cuomo gives a daily coronavirus press conference in front of media and National Guard members (Getty Images)

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has called for an investigation into Governor Andrew Cuomo’s alleged involvement in covering up the death toll at New York nursing homes as a result of Covid-19. In a statement on Friday, Ocasio-Cortez said, "I support our state’s return to co-equal governance and stand with our local officials calling for a full investigation of the Cuomo administration’s handling of nursing homes during COVID-19."

She also added in the statement, "Thousands of vulnerable New Yorkers lost their lives in nursing homes throughout the pandemic. Their loved ones and the public deserve answers and transparency from their elected leadership, and the Secretary to the Governor’s remarks warrant a full investigation.”

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Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) questions Postmaster General Louis DeJoy during a hearing before the House Oversight and Reform Committee on August 24, 2020 in Washington, DC. The committee is holding a hearing on "Protecting the Timely Delivery of Mail, Medicine, and Mail-in Ballots." (Getty Images)

Governor Andrew Cuomo's 15-minute rant

At the same time, Governor Andrew Cuomo denied any claims of cover-up in a 15-minute rant on Friday. He claimed that accusations about a cover-up were “lies” and “misinformation”. Cuomo said at a virtual news conference from Albany, "I’m not going to let you hurt New Yorkers by lying about what happened. Surrounding the death of a loved one.”

He added, "So, I’m going to take on the lies and the unscrupulous actors, especially when they cause pain and damage to New York," and said, "I should have done it before. And I should have done it more aggressively.”

Cuomo's statement came a day after the FBI and the Brooklyn US Attorney’s Office launched an investigation into Cuomo's COVID-19 taskforce in the wake of allegations of a cover-up.

New York state Gov. Andrew Cuomo speaks at a news conference on September 08, 2020 in New York City. Cuomo, though easing restrictions on casinos and malls throughout the state, has declined to do so for indoor dining in restaurants in New York City despite pressure from business owners, citing struggles by the city to enforce the state's previous orders. (Getty Images)

What is the New York nursing home scandal?

Governor Andrew Cuomo’s top aide Melissa DeRosa admitted in private to Democrat lawmakers about withholding the state’s nursing home death toll as a result of COVID-19. She had reportedly said, “we froze” out of fear that the true numbers would “be used against us” by federal prosecutors. The claims were denied by Cuomo in the 15-minute rant on Friday.

In addition to this, Cuomo has also been accused of threatening Assemblyman Ron Kim whose uncle had passed in the nursing home after showing symptoms of COVID-19. Kim had claimed that he received a call from Cuomo on February 11 which turned ugly and ended with Cuomo ending the call with the warning "You have not seen my wrath.” Kim also recalled the Governor claiming, "I can tell the whole world what a bad person you are and you will be finished."