This post is purely non-political.
Gov. Cuomo, under fire from both parties, not just in NYS but nationally, continues to face criticism over his directive issued in March 2020 requiring nursing and group homes to admit or re-admit COVID positive patients.
For those who are unsure what I am referring to, the order states: (credit AP)
“The Cuomo administration’s March 25 directive barred nursing homes from refusing people just because they had COVID-19. It was intended to free up space in hospitals swamped in the early days of the pandemic. It came under criticism from advocates for nursing home residents and their relatives, who said it had the potential to spread the virus in a state that at the time already had the nation’s highest nursing home death toll.”
The fact is the hospitals were never overloaded. The Javits center was set up as a makeshift hospital as well as the Westchester County Center, among other sites. Former President Trump even sent the USS Comfort to NY Harbor where it sat docked for several weeks. Many of these sites took in very few patients.
Attorney General Letitia James recently came out and announced that the Cuomo Administration undercounted nursing home deaths by as much as 50%. The official death count stands at nearly 15,000, whereas the official number released by the Cuomo Administration was 8,000. The Administration claims that they did not release the accurate numbers because of fear that the Trump Dept of Justice could retaliate against the state for political reasons.
To me, by releasing false information accounts to obstruction, though I am no lawyer, obstruction could probably be proved in a case like this.
Several NYS lawmakers have supported a bipartisan effort to strip Cuomo of his emergency powers, which were granted last year at the start of the pandemic. These emergency powers enabled Cuomo to issue executive orders without legislative approval. Among the orders were the stay-at-home order and the NYS PAUSE, where it forced the closing of many non-essential businesses. The powers are set to expire on April 30 but many lawmakers would like to see them stripped earlier.
Regardless of whether you are a Democrat, Republican, Independent etc., you have to agree that Cuomo should be held accountable for his actions. Thousands of people did not have to die. He owes the families that lost loved ones an apology. Whether he should resign or be impeached, we will just have to see what the next few weeks bring.
On another front, two former aids to the Governor have come forward with sexual harassment allegations. Cuomo has denied them and NY Attorney General Letitia James calls for “truly independent” investigation regarding claims of sexual harassment against Cuomo. The Governor’s office asked James and Court of Appeals chief judge to select an independent lawyer to review the claims.
In regard to this scandal, again, Cuomo should be held accountable, should these allegations prove to be true. My advice: let the investigation play out and see what happens.
Mattricker.org 