The Justice Department has reportedly opened a criminal investigation into former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo for allegedly lying to Congress about tnursing home deaths in the Empire State during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The probe into the New York City mayoral front-runner was launched about a month ago by the Washington, DC, US Attorney’s Office, the New York Times reported Tuesday, citing two people familiar with the matter.
The office was led at the time by Ed Martin, who was replaced earlier this month by Jeanine Pirro.
The Republican-led House Oversight and Government Reform Committee asked Attorney General Pam Bondi to pursue criminal charges against Cuomo, a Democrat, for making “criminally false statements” during a June 11, 2024, interview with the House COVID subcommittee.
House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) charged that there was “overwhelming evidence” that Cuomo, 67, presided over a July 6, 2020, audit that undercounted the total number of deaths in New York senior care facilities during the pandemic by 46%.
In his testimony, the ex-governor was adamant that he had not drafted, reviewed, discussed or consulted people for “peer-review” on the nursing home report, which was published by the New York state Department of Health.
Comer previously referred Cuomo for prosecution last year, but his request was denied by President Joe Biden’s Attorney General Merrick Garland.
The former governor’s spokesperson Rich Azzopardi told The Post that he was unaware of any investigation — slamming the prospect of one as “lawfare and election interference.”
“We have never been informed of any such matter, so why would someone leak it now?” he said in a statement. “The answer is obvious: This is lawfare and election interference plain and simple — something President Trump and his top Department of Justice officials say they are against.
“Governor Cuomo testified truthfully to the best of his recollection about events from four years earlier, and he offered to address any follow-up questions from the Subcommittee — but from the beginning this was all transparently political,” he added. --->READ MORE HERE
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The US justice department has launched an investigation into former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo over his testimony to Congress during the Covid-19 pandemic, US media reports.
Congressional Republicans have accused Cuomo - who is running for New York City mayor - of lying in an investigation surrounding his response to the crisis.
It marks the latest in a string of investigations launched by the Trump administration into Democrats or opponents since the president returned to the White House.
Cuomo's spokesperson has said the former governor is not aware of a Justice Department investigation into his actions.
House Republicans reportedly requested Cuomo be federally investigated and argued he lie to a congressional committee when he said he was not involved in reviewing a report from the New York Health Department about how the state handled the Covid pandemic while he was governor.
In a statement, Rich Azzopardi, a Cuomo spokesperson, told the BBC's US partner CBS News that the former governor has not had any contact from law enforcement about the case or received any subpoenas.
He said news of the investigation was leaked, describing it as "lawfare" and "election interference". --->READ MORE HEREFollow links below to relevant/related stories and resources:
DOJ targets Cuomo for COVID lies | Reporter Replay
Cuomo bails on NYC senior center visit where protesters hoped to confront ex-gov over nursing home death scandal
USA TODAY: Coronavirus Updates
WSJ: Coronavirus Live Updates
YAHOO NEWS: Coronavirus Live Updates
NEW YORK POST: Coronavirus The Latest
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