A House committee investigation has revealed that former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and his aides were aware of the potential consequences of their nursing home policy during the COVID-19 pandemic and later assisted in editing a report that underreported the death toll.

The findings, released by the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic, accuse Cuomo of making false statements and participating in a cover-up of the true impact of the nursing home directive.

According to the New York Post, the investigation uncovered evidence that Cuomo's office approved a directive forcing COVID-19 patients back into nursing homes, which allegedly led to as many as 9,000 excess deaths.

The committee's report, based on a review of 550,000 pages of internal records and interviews with at least 10 New York officials, paints a damning picture of the Cuomo administration's handling of the crisis.

Cuomo Aides Acknowledged Policy Concerns

The investigation revealed that Cuomo's team was aware of the potential fallout from their nursing home policy. In a telling email, Cuomo aide Stephanie Benton wrote:

This is going to be the great debacle in the history books. Don't u [sic] see how bad this is? Or do we admit error and give up?

This correspondence suggests that high-level officials in the Cuomo administration recognized the gravity of the situation early on. Despite these concerns, the directive remained in place until May 10, 2020, when at least 9,000 COVID-19 patients had been admitted to nursing homes.

The committee's findings also indicate that Cuomo and his inner circle were directly involved in editing a state Department of Health report that significantly undercounted nursing home fatalities. Dr. Jim Malatras, a former member of Cuomo's COVID task force, testified that top aide Melissa DeRosa was "constantly editing" the report, with Cuomo himself also participating in the editing process.

Conflicting Testimonies And Accountability

The investigation highlighted discrepancies between Cuomo's public statements and the testimonies of other officials. While Cuomo maintained that he did not recall reviewing or seeing the nursing home directive, Bradley Hutton, former deputy health commissioner, told the committee that the governor's office had "absolutely" signed off on the order.

Furthermore, Health Commissioner Dr. Howard Zucker reportedly declined to make a false statement about the governor's office's involvement in the directive during a state legislative panel. Zucker testified to the House committee that it wasn't true and he was going to make a statement to that effect.

These conflicting accounts raise questions about the transparency of the Cuomo administration during the height of the pandemic.

Impact And Aftermath Of The Nursing Home Policy

The consequences of the nursing home directive were significant. When full internal data was finally released in January 2021, the official COVID death count in nursing homes increased from 8,711 to 12,743, a jump of nearly 46%. This revelation came after months of praise for Cuomo's handling of the pandemic, including an Emmy award for his press conferences.

In his testimony to the committee, Cuomo acknowledged that moving patients to nursing homes had ultimately been unnecessary, stating that he never needed the hospital beds and that while they were afraid they might, they never did. This admission adds a layer of tragedy to the already devastating impact of the policy on New York's most vulnerable population.

Congressional Response And Ongoing Investigation

Rep. Brad Wenstrup, chairman of the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic, was unequivocal in his assessment of the investigation's findings.

He stated that the Cuomo Administration was responsible for recklessly exposing New York's most vulnerable population to COVID-19 and that the memo holds Cuomo and his team accountable for their failures while providing a comprehensive accounting of New York's pandemic-era wrongdoing.

The committee's investigation is ongoing, with Cuomo scheduled for a public hearing on Tuesday, September 12, 2024. The panel claims that New York is still withholding documents vital to the investigation that could inform legislative solutions to prevent similar tragedies in the future.

Cuomo's team, however, has pushed back against the committee's findings. His spokesman, Rich Azzopardi, dismissed the report as partisan and lacking in evidence, describing it as a MAGA caucus report designed to distract from Trump's failed pandemic leadership.

Conclusion

The House committee's investigation has uncovered evidence suggesting that former Governor Andrew Cuomo and his aides were aware of the risks associated with their nursing home policy during the COVID-19 pandemic. The report alleges that Cuomo's team later edited a health department report to deflate the death toll.

Testimonies from various officials indicate conflicting accounts of the decision-making process behind the directive. The investigation's findings have reignited debates about accountability and transparency in pandemic response, with Cuomo scheduled for a public hearing to address these allegations.