Revelations Of Cuomo Cover-Up Shine New Spotlight On Senate Democrats

A Top Cuomo Aide Admitted ‘Withholding The State’s Nursing Home Death Toll From COVID-19,’ Raising ‘New Questions As To Whether A March 25 Directive From Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s Administration Helped Spread Sickness And Death Among Residents’

“Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s top aide privately apologized to Democratic lawmakers for withholding the state’s nursing home death toll from COVID-19 — telling them ‘we froze’ out of fear that the true numbers would ‘be used against us’ by federal prosecutors, The Post has learned. The stunning admission of a coverup was made by secretary to the governor Melissa DeRosa during a video conference call with state Democratic leaders in which she said the Cuomo administration had rebuffed a legislative request for the tally in August because ‘right around the same time, [then-President Donald Trump] turns this into a giant political football,’ according to an audio recording of the two-hour-plus meeting…. ‘And basically, we froze,’ she told the lawmakers on the call. ‘Because then we were in a position where we weren’t sure if what we were going to give to the Department of Justice, or what we give to you guys, what we start saying, was going to be used against us while we weren’t sure if there was going to be an investigation.’ DeRosa added: ‘That played a very large role into this.’” (“Cuomo Aide Melissa DeRosa Admits They Hid Nursing Home Data So Feds Wouldn’t Find Out,” New York Post, 2/11/2021)

“More than 9,000 recovering coronavirus patients in New York state were released from hospitals into nursing homes early in the pandemic under a controversial directive that was scrapped amid criticism it accelerated outbreaks, according to new records obtained by The Associated Press. The new number of 9,056 recovering patients sent to hundreds of nursing homes is more than 40% higher than what the state health department previously released. And it raises new questions as to whether a March 25 directive from Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s administration helped spread sickness and death among residents … The new figures come as the Cuomo administration has been forced in recent weeks to acknowledge it has been underreporting the overall number of COVID-19 deaths among long-term care residents. It is now nearly 15,000 up from the 8,500 previously disclosed.” (“Over 9,000 Virus Patients Sent Into NY Nursing Homes,” The Associated Press, 2/12/2021)

• “A leader of a California group of nursing home clinicians and administrators, however, sees New York officials as seeking to shift blame. ‘There has never been any question in my mind that sending COVID-19 patients into completely unprepared, understaffed and underresourced nursing homes both increased transmission and led to a greater number of deaths,’ said Dr. Michael Wasserman, president of the California Association of Long Term Care Medicine.” (“Over 9,000 Virus Patients Sent Into NY Nursing Homes,” The Associated Press, 2/12/2021)

“Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo and his top aides were facing new allegations on Friday that they covered up the scope of the death toll in the state’s nursing homes from the coronavirus, after admissions that they withheld data in an effort to forestall potential investigations into state misconduct…. The news of Ms. DeRosa’s remarks sparked a flurry of angry denunciations, including from Mr. Cuomo’s fellow Democrats. ‘This is a betrayal of the public trust,’ State Senator Andrew Gounardes, a Democrat from Brooklyn, said on Twitter. ‘There needs to be full accountability for what happened.’” (“New Allegations of Cover-Up by Cuomo Over Nursing Home Virus Toll,” The New York Times, 2/12/2021)

FLASHBACK: Just Last Week, All 50 Senate Democrats Voted Down An Amendment To Hold Accountable New York And Other States That Failed To Protect Vulnerable Nursing Home Residents

All 50 Senate Democrats voted to allow additional funding to flow to states under investigation for underreporting deaths in nursing homes from coronavirus. (S.Amdt. 53, S Con.Res. 5, Roll Call Vote #15: Amendment Rejected 50-50: D 0-48; R 50-0; I 0-2, 2/04/2021)

• Among those voting against Sen. Tim Scott’s (R-SC) amendment were Sens. Mark Kelly (D-AZ), Raphael Warnock (D-GA), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), and Michael Bennet (D-CO). (S.Amdt. 53, S Con.Res. 5, Roll Call Vote #15: Amendment Rejected 50-50: D 0-48; R 50-0; I 0-2, 2/04/2021, Kelly, Warnock, Hassan, Cortez Masto, and Bennet voted Nay)

SEN. TIM SCOTT (R-SC): “It makes no sense to offer more funding to states that have mismanaged and then covered up their pandemic response… Leaders that neglected their responsibility to protect our elderly populations amid this devastating pandemic must be held accountable. The life-and-death implications of this dereliction of duty have caused tragedy for countless families whose loved ones died in long-term care facilities. They deserve answers.” (Sen. Scott, Press Release, 2/04/2021)