Friday, April 30, 2021

30 April 2021: NYC Mayor Notices Team Cuomo Has Admitted They Covered Up COVID Nursing Home Deaths

De Blasio strikes back at Cuomo, says ‘everyone’s just admitting they covered up’

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has finally noticed the Cuomo administration, including Governor Cuomo, have admitted to covering up the full extent of COVID deaths among New York nursing home residents. We'll cut straight to his reported comments:

“It’s almost to the point where we don’t even need the full, formal investigation, because everyone’s just admitting that they covered up,” de Blasio said about the slew of charges of misconduct facing Cuomo, which prompted Democrats in the Assembly to even launch an impeachment investigation.

“I mean, this has been one after another piece of evidence that there was a full-fledged cover-up, that it was explicitly to help the governor sell his book — this was one of the motivating factors, a book that he used state employees to help write,” de Blasio continued.

“This is separate from the many, many allegations of sexual assault, harassment that so many women have come forward with in tremendous detail,” he added, before again reiterating his calls for Cuomo to step down or be removed from office. “It’s almost like you can’t believe this one person did all these things and is still in office, and that’s why I don’t think he should be in office any longer.”

What Mayor de Blasio is still very slow in processing is that the cover-up began long before Governor Cuomo's book deal was struck, which has recently been confirmed. We think the original motive for the cover-up was to escape criminal liability for implementing such an obviously negligent policy that would ensure the number of COVID deaths among New York nursing homes residents would be higher than it would have been without it. We think the book deal provided an additional incentive for continuing the cover-up.

Here is relevant information about how the timing of Governor Cuomo's book deal fits into the COVID nursing home deaths cover-up from the timeline:

Exit question: When will NY state legislators notice the cover-up admission confirms Governor Cuomo and his administration violated state law and is an impeachable offense by itself?

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30 April 2021: British Equivalent of Oscar/Emmy Award Revoked Over Sexual Harassment Allegations

BAFTA Suspends Award for Actor Noel Clarke Amid Harassment Allegations

We have to admit this is a very odd entry for a timeline dedicated to documenting the twists and turns in New York Governor Andrew Cuomo's COVID nursing home deaths scandals, but bear with us. Here's the meat of the story as reported in the New York Times, which dedicates an incredible amount of its limited resources to covering these kinds of stories:

The body that awards Britain’s equivalent of the Oscars has suspended a prominent actor and director weeks after he received one of its top awards, following accusations of sexual assault, sexual harassment and bullying from 20 women.

No word on whether the actor has also contributed to the deaths of hundreds, if not thousands of nursing home residents because of a deadly directive their administration implemented or if they also tried to cover-up the deaths of thousands more for months afterward.

By comparison, in addition to these other scandals, Governor Cuomo has been accused of sexual harassment by no fewer than nine women, including several former aides and at least one current aide who accuses Governor Cuomo of groping her.

And yet, the International Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, which awarded an Emmy to Governor Cuomo, remains silent on whether it will likewise revoke the prize it gave to him.

Here's more history from the timeline:

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30 April 2021: Michigan Lawmakers Seeking Probe of Governor Whitmer's COVID Nursing Home Policies

Michigan Legislature seeking investigation into nursing home COVID policies

Along with New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania, Michigan was one of four states to sustain a policy of forcing nursing homes to admit patients known to have COVID infections over a significant period of time. This report indicates Michigan lawmakers want appropriate funds to investigate the impact of Governor Gretchen Whitmer's policies:

With COVID-19 still affecting lives in Michigan, Republican lawmakers want to investigate one of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s policies that they say may have put senior citizens at greater risk of getting COVID.

The Michigan Senate had approved a supplemental bill to investigate Whitmer and her policy of putting people who had COVID-19 into the state’s nursing homes and long-term care facilities. Such policies were originally put into place to help free up hospital beds for other COVID-19 patients.

Senate Bill 27 would provide $1.25 million to support investigations by county prosecutors into long-term care and residential care facility policies implemented by the governor and the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.

The report provides the following justification provided by Michigan state senator Dan Lauwers (R-Brockway Township) for why legislative funding for an investigation is needed:

“The governor’s failed polices are responsible for forcing our most vulnerable residents into living spaces with seniors who tested positive for COVID-19,” said Lauwers in a statement. “Our seniors now account for at least one-third of our state’s COVID-19 deaths.”

Lauwers also claimed that Whitmer refused to work with the Legislature and denied answers to grieving families.

Since both of these bill are appropriations bills, they would have to go through committee and be approved by both legislative chambers to go into effect.

While Republicans have worked on this legislation since March, state Attorney General Dana Nessel has not investigated such nursing home policies.

Here is some background information from when the timeline has intersected with Michigan's COVID nursing home deaths scandal:

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30 April 2021: Cuomo Vaccine Czar, Political Enforcer Resigns

Top Cuomo aide in charge of vaccines resigns

This report from 29 April 2021 comes from Axios, where we have give kudos to the news outlet's executive-style "get-to-the-point" format.

Larry Schwartz, a close adviser to New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) charged with overseeing the state's COVID-19 vaccine rollout, resigned Wednesday, the New York Times reports.

Why it matters: Although Schwartz said he originally expected to leave the role in mid-May, his early departure coincides with a state legislature rule change that would have required financial disclosures and a two-year lobbying ban, the Times notes.

  • Schwartz's resignation also follows other high-level exits amid investigations into alleged attempts by senior Cuomo aides to keep data on COVID-19 nursing home deaths from the public. He had taken on the role of New York's vaccine czar as an unpaid volunteer, the Times reports.
  • Schwartz is required to file financial disclosure forms through his board position with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.

Flashback: Schwartz allegedly called county officials seeking support for Cuomo amid mounting sexual misconduct accusations earlier this year, per multiple reports. Schwartz and Cuomo's office denied the claims.

As summaries of news reports go, that's pretty good. Meanwhile, if you'd like to see where Schwartz's almost certainly unethical role as Cuomo's enforcer has come up in the timeline, here you go:

We've mostly considered him to be a peripheral character, yet he has certainly left an ugly mark on what he's touched. It is quite possible he is more deeply involved in Team Cuomo's scandals.

More background on how Larry Schwartz came into the "vaccine czar" role and what is motivating his sudden departure:

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30 April 2021: Cuomo Book Deal a Motive for Continuing Cover-up of COVID Nursing Home Deaths

Janice Dean rips 'criminal' Cuomo over new nursing home bombshell: He lied to sell his $4M book

Here's an excerpt of one of the most prominent critics of Governor Cuomo's COVID nursing home policies' speculative comments in a recent interview:

Well, you have to ask why did they downplay those numbers for so long? And this is extensive. The extent that they went to make sure that this was not uncovered, right?

And he would go on these interviews on television when they would finally ask him the question about the nursing homes, he would give false information and he knew all along he was lying.

So why did he and his top aides, including Melissa DeRosa, go to such great lengths to make sure that no one would find out the real total of the deaths? I think it’s because it's criminal and he had a book to sell. A $4 million book.

There's also the little matter of avoiding criminal legal liability for their actions in office. That would have been the operating motive from the beginning of Team Cuomo's cover-up, since a lucrative book deal wasn't even on the table when the cover-up began in April 2020.

But once it was, it would most certainly contribute to the Cuomo administration's motives to sustain its cover-up.

Background from the timeline:

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Thursday, April 29, 2021

29 April 2021: Cuomo Whines About Accusers, Confirms Hasn't Spoken to State AG Yet

Cuomo claims ‘it’s not fair’ accusers have gone public with sexual harassment accusations

Governor Cuomo faced reporters at an event in Buffalo, NY intended to focus on the opening of a "pop-up" vaccination center in the city.

The embattled governor lashed out Thursday, arguing it’s “not fair” that the multiple women accusing him of sexual harassment have shared their stories publicly.

“What has happened is, the complainants have continued to go to the press and make their complaint in the press,” Cuomo said during an appearance in Buffalo. “And I have not been able to respond. That’s not fair and it’s not right.”

Curious. He's the Governor of the State of New York. What could possibly be stopping him from responding to the allegations if he thought that would go well for him?

Cuomo 'eager' to tell his story, but state AG hasn't interviewed him yet

The answer to that question may be in the following story emphasizing a different aspect of Governor Cuomo's responses to reporters' questions at his Buffalo event:

Gov. Andrew Cuomo says he has not been interviewed as part of state Attorney General Tish James’ investigation into allegations that he sexually harassed multiple women, though he added that he is "eager" to tell his side of the story.

James opened a probe into Cuomo earlier this year after several women, including current and former staffers, accused him of harassment and inappropriate behavior. The governor is also under investigation by the state Assembly, which is considering articles of impeachment.

Asked at an event in Buffalo on Thursday if he has spoken with investigators from James' office, Cuomo said: "I have not."

“But I can tell you this — I have tried to be respectful of the process. At the same time it has been very difficult letting people make accusations and not responding, and people have only heard one side of the story. I used to tell people when I was attorney general … when someone came in and said ‘well, I heard this,’ I said, ‘until you hear both sides of the story, you haven’t heard anything.’ People have heard one side of the story. I can’t tell you how eager I am to tell my side of the story and the time will come.”

If that last part sounds familiar, Governor Cuomo has been leaning on telling that story instead of telling his story. If he were truly serious, he would tell his story under oath. Now.

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29 April 2021: Cuomo Falsely Claims "It Was About the Accuracy"

Gov. Cuomo insists nursing home deaths were covered up for ‘accuracy’

Governor Cuomo needs a new script. Because the old one he's using is too out of date to keep up with even the New York Times' belated reporting.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo has his story about why he and his staffers hid New York’s nursing home death toll from COVID-19 — and he’s sticking to it.

One day after a report alleged that state officials repeatedly suppressed information about the fatalities, Cuomo claimed Thursday that “the concern for the state was that we provide accurate numbers.”

“It’s not than anyone was trying to secret a number,” he said during a news conference in Buffalo, repeating an oft-used excuse.

“Because it wasn’t about the number. It was about the accuracy of the number.”

Cuomo also again tried to blame the admitted cover-up — which is among the subjects of a state Assembly impeachment investigation — on former President Donald Trump.

It occurs to us that health professionals and scientists have a pretty effective method for dealing with the less-than-perfect accuracy of the data they routinely work with. They provide their best estimate and they indicate a range of values where, if all the data were examined by others from scratch multiple times, 95% of those examinations would see their best estimate fall within that range. That is a basic definition of what is meant whenever you see a 95% confidence level reported in a scientific paper or a political poll.

For Team Cuomo, that estimate was never going to be good for them, which is why they covered it up, starting in April 2020 long before the Trump DOJ came knocking on 26 August 2020, and ran with a COVID death tally that was never consistent with any independent observation.

The report also confirms Governor Cuomo is not acknowledging the confirmation his administration's cover-up began in April 2020. Probably because that would confirm he expected to face criminal prosecution by the U.S. DOJ from the very beginning, long before the Trump DOJ ever considered it.

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29 April 2021: CNN AWOL in Reporting Cuomo Cover-up Story

Yesterday, one of the bigger stories confirming the Cuomo administration's cover-up of the full extent of COVID deaths among NY nursing home residents began in April 2020 was reported by major news organizations across the U.S. But if you rely on Cuomo cheerleader CNN's broadcast coverage, you may still be in the dark about the latest evidence documenting the extent of the Cuomo administration's cover-up. Here are a couple of articles detailing CNN's lack of coverage on 28 April 2021:

CNN's Jake Tapper retweets latest Cuomo bombshell but avoids mentioning it on his two-hour program

CNN anchor Jake Tapper continued his bizarre practice of acknowledging unflattering stories about Democrats on social media while not giving them airtime on his own program, the latest example being the bombshell New York Times report about Democratic New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

Tapper, who is widely regarded as CNN's most serious news anchor, retweeted the explosive report to his 3 million Twitter followers on Wednesday after it was shared by Times deputy managing editor Cliff Levy....

However, despite having been given a second hour of programming as part of CNN's revamped lineup, "The Lead" anchor avoided the growing Cuomo controversy and spent much of his two hours on-air on the FBI raid of Trump ally Rudy Giuliani and hyping President Biden's joint address to Congress.

Glenn Greenwald hammers CNN's glowing coverage of Cuomo amid latest bombshell in nursing home

Glenn Greenwald took aim at CNN's glowing pandemic coverage of Democratic New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo amid the latest developments in the nursing home scandal....

"Andrew Cuomo was hiding death counts in nursing homes and defrauding the public at far greater levels than previously known, at the same time that CNN was putting him on air to be heralded as a great and inspiring leader by his own brother, a CNN host," Greenwald tweeted, alluding to the series of interviews "Cuomo Prime Time" anchor Chris Cuomo held with the governor before he was swept in controversy.

"CNN's host not only aided his brother, the Governor, defraud the public by abusing CNN's airwaves to [propagandize] for him, but Chris Cuomo himself is at the center of a scandal: his brother abused state resource to give him special COVID treatment," Greenwald explained.

The Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist continued, "CNN has refused to cover the scandal involving Gov. Cuomo's misuse of state funds to direct special treatment to his brother, their host, at the expense of needier sick people. To the contrary, they *defended* it. How come people don't trust the media? Why does nobody watch CNN?"

Follow this link to see where CNN's journalism conflict of interest issues has recurred throughout the Cuomo nursing home deaths scandal timeline.

But wait, there's more!

30 April 2021: Jake Tapper goes two days without mention of Cuomo bombshell on CNN show despite acknowledgement on Twitter

This report suggests that CNN's managers and editors are choosing to either block or minimize coverage of the New York Times' long overdue confirmation the Cuomo administration's cover-up of nursing home deaths began in April 2020, months before the U.S. Department of Justice first requested information and data about those deaths. That's significant because major broadcast news outlets, including CNN, almost always follow the New York Times' lead in setting their own news coverage. So much so that whenever there is a deviation from that practice among these outlets, it is notable. In CNN's case, it demonstrates the extent to which their "journalism" has become ethically compromised.

But wait, there's still more!

1 May 2021: CNN's Jake Tapper keeps up Cuomo blackout on air while repeatedly tweeting about nursing home scandal

We didn't think this story would continue for a third day. What on earth are CNN's managers and editors thinking?

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29 April 2021: What Harm Did the Cuomo Cover-up of COVID Nursing Home Deaths Cause?

The Andrew Cuomo nursing home scandal gets worse and worse

How did Governor Cuomo's and his administration's cover-up of the full extent of COVID-19 deaths among New York nursing home residents harm the public?

That's a central question in this opinion piece analyzing the impact of Team Cuomo's months-long effort to prevent that data from becoming known:

Denying state health officials access to data that could’ve allowed them to fight the pandemic more effectively, and thus prevent the Empire State from becoming superspreader No. 1, is bad enough. That Cuomo allegedly had staffers obscure the true nursing home death toll so he could sell a stupid self-aggrandizing book is genuinely psychotic.

If you think the New York Times’s straightforward report is bad, just wait until you consider its implications.

For starters, we must question now the number of excess deaths Cuomo’s interference may have caused. And not just excess deaths in New York, but in all the other states. We knew already New York was a superspreader state. But this new information suggests the overall effect it had on the rest of the country may actually be worse than originally thought, and all because its governor had a book to promote.

The article goes on to consider how the cover-up calls into question the Biden -Harris White House's management of the coronavirus pandemic, including how it discredits Biden-Harris senior adviser for the nation's COVID-19 response Andy Slavitt. Since those political considerations are out-of-scope for our main focus at this site, follow the article link if you want to find out more.

Meanwhile, here are related stories and analysis from the timeline that summarize much of Team Cuomo's COVID nursing home deaths cover-up scandal:

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29 April 2021: Anti-Science Team Cuomo's Cover-Up

Cuomo admin buried scientific paper on nursing home COVID deaths: report

This report focuses on the efforts of senior members of the Cuomo administration to block the release of data that communicated the full extent of COVID nursing home deaths during the period its deadly 25 March 2020 directive was in effect.

An email sent by top aide Melissa DeRosa to health officials on June 18 indicated the admin was “anxious” about a DOH report on nursing home coronavirus fatalities, the Times reported.

DeRosa apparently wanted the report to downplay the idea that the state’s controversial directive that required nursing homes to readmit infected COVID-19 patients was problematic.

The admin had faced criticism that the later-rescinded March 25 policy directive fueled outbreaks in hard-hit nursing homes.

They initially put the nursing home death toll at around 6,000 — though they were not counting residents who died in hospitals.

The draft report, which was obtained by the Times, put the number of residents with coronavirus killed through the end of May at 9,739 — far higher than what the admin was saying at the time.

It found that “approximately 35 percent” of all deaths in the state were among nursing home residents.

But the report was never published. Instead, a version that was reportedly rewritten by senior Cuomo aides several times was released in July, claiming that only 21 percent of all New York COVID-19 deaths were in nursing homes.

The conclusions from the state’s own health experts were buried even as Cuomo publicly urged people to “Look at the data. Follow the science. Listen to the experts” when it came to the pandemic.

Looking at the checklist for how to detect junk science, Governor Cuomo and senior members of his administration ticked the checklist items for Goals, Inconsistencies, and Falsifiability, using tactics similar to those who were caught red-handed in anti-science conduct.

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Wednesday, April 28, 2021

28 April 2021: Confirmed - Team Cuomo Cover-up of NY Nursing Home COVID Deaths Began in April 2020

Cuomo Aides Spent Months Hiding Nursing Home Death Toll

This report New York Times validates the analysis of events we've put together in the timeline, where we had already traced the beginning of Team Cuomo's cover-up of the full extent of COVID-19 deaths among New York nursing home residents to April 2020. Beyond that, the Times describes several documents Cuomo administration officials blocked from either becoming public or communicated with state legislators.

The effort by Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo’s office to obscure the pandemic death toll in New York nursing homes was far greater than previously known, with aides repeatedly overruling state health officials over a span of at least five months, according to interviews and newly unearthed documents.

Mr. Cuomo’s most senior aides engaged in a sustained effort to prevent the state’s own health officials, including the commissioner, Howard Zucker, from releasing the true death toll to the public or sharing it with state lawmakers, these interviews and documents showed.

A scientific paper, which incorporated the data, was never published. An audit of the numbers by a top Cuomo aide was finished months before it became publicly known. Two letters, drafted by the Health Department and meant for state legislators, were never sent.

The actions coincided with the period in which Mr. Cuomo was pitching and then writing a book on the pandemic, with the assistance of his top aide, Melissa DeRosa, and others.

But wait, there's more!

The full data on nursing home deaths was not released until this year, after a report by the state attorney general in late January found that the official tally might have undercounted the true toll by as much as 50 percent.

That was something Mr. Cuomo’s aides had known since the previous spring, The New York Times found.

Related events from the timeline:

If the New York Assembly was serious about its impeachment probe, it has more than sufficient probable cause supported by well-established documentation and evidence based on the Cuomo administration's COVID cover-up to impeach Governor Cuomo today. If they were serious, they would vote to launch a full impeachment trial in the New York state senate on that basis now, while continuing their other probes of Governor Cuomo's alleged misconduct in office.

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28 April 2021: Cuomo Highest Paid State Governor in U.S.

Scandal-Hit Andrew Cuomo Highest Paid Governor In US: Forbes

This report starts with the observation that Governor Cuomo's ranking does not include his "multi-billion book deal".

We think that's tongue in cheek, since several sources have cited the value of his pandemic "leadership" book deal at $4 million, which is far more generous that what all but the top best-selling authors get. In any case, here's what it takes to be the top salaried state governor in the United States:

Scandal-scarred Andrew Cuomo was the nation's highest paid governor last year, taking home an annual salary of $225,000 which doesn't include a multi-million dollar book deal, according to a Forbes report.

The linked Forbes article has more detail about how Governor Cuomo's salary has grown since 2010 to put him at the top of the nation's most expensive governor list. At $225,000, Governor Cuomo's salary alone puts him in the Top 2% of all income-earning Americans.

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Tuesday, April 27, 2021

27 April 2021: "Have I touched people? Yes." Says Governor Cuomo When Asked About Sexual Harassment Allegations

‘Have I touched people? Yes,’ Cuomo says as he’s pressed on sex harass complaints

This report comes after Governor Cuomo was directly asked questions by reporters in-person for the second time since December 2020. Let's get straight to the Governor's comments:

“Have I touched people? Yes,” Cuomo matter-of-factly responded during a COVID-19 press briefing in Binghamton when he was asked by a reporter if he has ever touched “anybody” or any women in the governor’s mansion.

Cuomo later followed up, “Of course, you touch people,” and explained that he has “shook hands” with folks.

“I didn’t touch them inappropriately,” he insisted....

“I told you, I never touched anyone inappropriately,” the governor said when asked by The Post Tuesday about a female aide who has accused Cuomo of groping her while they were alone in a room inside the Executive Mansion in Albany.

When pressed whether he committed the act regardless of whether he believed it was inappropriate or not, Cuomo replied, “I have never touched anyone inappropriately, groping would be inappropriate.”

Cuomo again declared that he “didn’t do anything wrong” as he denied the slew of sexual assault and misconduct claims against him.

From the timeline:

De Blasio says nursing home, sex-harass scandal-scarred Cuomo ‘living a life of illusion’

There's no love lost between New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and New York Governor Andrew Cuomo. The Mayor took the opportunity of Governor Cuomo's recent in-person questioning by the press to point to several other problems with Governor Cuomo's conduct in office:

“It’s clear, with the fact that there was a cover-up of the nursing home scandal is documented. His top aide said it in front of a group of legislators,” de Blasio said, in reference to the stunning admission by secretary to the governor Melissa DeRosa, which was exposed by The Post.

De Blasio continued, “We have numerous women who’ve come forward to talk about sexual assault and harassment — I mean, these things are documented, so I don’t understand how he’s saying that.”...

The mayor, who has called for Cuomo’s resignation, said Tuesday, “I think the investigations will proceed and I absolutely assume the investigations will prove, in fact, that something very wrong happened.”

From the timeline:

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27 April 2021: Families of Cuomo COVID Nursing Home Victims Want Answers, Accountability

Nursing home families still in the dark after Gov. Cuomo’s COVID disaster

This op-ed article is by Daniel and Peter Arbeeny, whose father Norman died in a Brooklyn nursing home while the Cuomo administration's deadly 25 March 2020 directive was in effect.

That story and their fight for answers appears several times within the timeline. In this opinion piece, after describing several incidents involving Governor Cuomo's COVID nursing home deaths scandals they describe as worthy of criminal investigation, they take New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli to the woodshed over his failure to use the power of his office to meaningfully participate, calling him "missing in action":

State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli is independently elected and has the authority to audit and hold accountable state and local government. His mission is transparency and to seek the truth wherever it leads. Unfortunately, DiNapoli has declined to assert this power during the pandemic. In fact, he has conducted not one audit of any substantive COVID-related issue, let alone of the nursing home scandal that resulted in the deaths of thousands of New Yorkers.

The Arbeeny brothers describe what DiNapoli could be investigating if hadn't chosen to pass the buck on participating:

If DiNapoli wants to get in the game and do his job to seek the truth, he needs to probe the origins of the March 25, 2020, nursing home order, including all communications of outside parties who took part. He also needs to uncover whether the 600 nursing homes were equipped to accept COVID-positive patients and, if not, why.

We need to know who tallied the state Department of Health’s nursing home COVID death count data, and exactly what the agency knew when. We also need the number of nursing home discharges who, like our father, caught COVID in a nursing home but later died at home.

Along the way, DiNapoli should look into the credible claims that Cuomo lined up COVID testing for family and other connected people during the initial months of the pandemic. The taxpayers deserve to know these names.

The Cuomo administration's deadly 25 March 2020 directive is estimated to have cost the lives of hundreds, if not thousands, of more elderly New Yorkers than would have died from COVID-19 had the directive never been issued.

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27 April 2021: Hypocritical NY Dem Pols Called Out for "Enabling" Cuomo

Andrew Cuomo’s elected enablers need to quit it

This short editorial from the New York Post not only names names, but gives the new name of "enablers" to the elected NY Democratic party members who called for Governor Cuomo's resignation but were all to happy to put on a show with him at the Governor's staged public events:

Just days after standing beside Gov. Andrew Cuomo at a Yonkers event, state Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins repeated her call for the gov to go … after critics called her out.

But she couldn’t take back her words at the Yonkers PAL Center, publicly thanking the gov for “the work that we did on this budget.” Had she forgotten that she asked for his resignation back on March 7, citing the endless allegations of sexual misconduct, a toxic work environment plaguing the executive chamber and his scandalous handling of COVID-19 in nursing homes?

She’s not the only hypocrite. Last Thursday, state Sen. Todd Kaminsky (D-Nassau) and Assemblywoman Judy Griffin (D-Rockville Centre) — who’ve both called for the gov to step down — joined Cuomo at an Earth Day ribbon-cutting on Long Island.

As Queens Assemblyman Ron Kim tweeted, “Imagine if the CEO of your company is accused of sexually assaulting and groping an employee. Everything would cease until that is resolved and we have full accountability.” So: “What kind of message are we sending to young women workers in government” with these joint appearances?

If you think the guy should go, folks, don’t play along with his efforts to pretend nothing’s up. That’s known as “enabling,” and it makes you part of the problem.

That's the whole editorial, but do click the links through to the Post's reporting. The newspaper has been a leader in its coverage of what has become the many corruption scandals of Andrew Cuomo.

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27 April 2021: NY Senate Committee Investigating Cuomo Bridge Scandal

State Senate pursues probe of Mario M. Cuomo Bridge project

A committee in the NY state senate is investigating the ineffective oversight of the administration of Governor Andrew Cuomo related to the use of defective bolts in the construction of the Governor Mario M. Cuomo Bridge, named after his father.

The state Senate's Committee on Investigations and Government Operations on Monday confirmed that it began reviewing documents on the construction of the Mario M. Cuomo Bridge following a March 7 Times Union story that raised questions about the state's investigations into allegations the company that built the twin span had concealed from inspectors that bolts holding the structure together were breaking.

This particular probe is of interest because it mirrors aspects of the Cuomo administration's COVID nursing home deaths scandals, including the its concealment of the full extent of the problem and its stonewalling efforts to probe into the scandal.

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Monday, April 26, 2021

26 April 2021: Cuomo Blames His Administration's Cover-up of Nursing Home Deaths on Politics

Gov. Cuomo faces questions about allegations of sexual harassment, issues new denial

Most of the coverage of Governor Cuomo's rare in-person encounter with reporters on 26 April 2021 focused on the sexual harassment allegations that began taking center stage after the Cuomo administration acknowledged it covered-up the full extent of COVID nursing home deaths during the period its deadly 25 March 2020 directive was in effect. This report however covered the Governor's response to a question about that scandal:

Cuomo once again blamed a federal probe and the controversy surrounding his handling of nursing home deaths during the crisis on politics, claiming his fraught relationship with the Trump administration was the root of the issue.

“What that is going to come down to, in my opinion, is the politics of COVID,” he said.

Critics have accused the Cuomo administration of intentionally withholding the true number of nursing home deaths during the pandemic. A report from James’ office released in January resulted in the state Health department finally releasing a full tally.

“The number was always going to be what the number was, but making sure the number was accurate, is what was important. Nursing homes were ground zero for COVID. We all knew that that was true all across the country,” Cuomo said. “The finger-pointing, that is just more of the ugly politics of the time.”

The Cuomo administration's cover-up of the full extent of COVID deaths resulting from its deadly 25 March 2020 directive effectively began when he agreed to gift legal immunity for COVID deaths to a powerful hospital and nursing home lobby on 2 April 2020. We think they scored the deal by leveraging Cuomo over the 25 March 2020 directive, which bought their silence.

The Trump administration's DOJ first asked the Cuomo administration for data on those deaths on 26 August 2020, which it refused to provide. The Cuomo administration had begun regularly collecting detailed data on those deaths beginning on 18 April 2020 and required nursing homes to report earlier deaths to them. The Cuomo administration then stonewalled in providing that data to federal agencies, state lawmakers, watchdog groups, and the news media for months before finally being forced to release the public data after losing a 3 February 2021 court decision.

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26 April 2021: "I Didn't Do Anything Wrong" Says Governor Cuomo on Sexual Harassment Allegations

'I didn't do anything wrong': Andrew Cuomo denies harassment, groping allegations

Governor Cuomo's strategy of hiding behind (investigations/COVID/staged public events) to evade questioning by reporters was interrupted today at an event at the New York State Fairgrounds:

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Monday flatly denied any allegations of sexual harassment or groping, telling reporters he "didn't do anything wrong" despite at least five current or former aides accusing him of misconduct in some form.

Cuomo, a Democrat, allowed members of the media to attend a news conference in person Monday at the New York State Fair grounds near Syracuse, marking the first time the press got to question the governor in a non-virtual setting since December.

The result was Cuomo facing a barrage of questions about the multiple scandals that have engulfed his administration in recent months, including various allegations of sexual harassment and a federal investigation into the state's underrepresenting of nursing home residents who died of COVID-19.

The following excerpt captures the general flavor of Goveror Cuomo's responses he provided to multiple questions about the allegations of sexual harassment levied against him:

The governor scoffed when asked Monday whether he would resign or discipline himself if the latter investigation determined he sexually harassed women.

"The report can't say anything different because I didn't do anything wrong," he said.

The news media was quick to get a response from Lindsay Boylan, the first woman to come forward with sexual harassment allegations:

The governor's comments drew an immediate rebuke from Lindsey Boylan, a former Cuomo aide who was the first to publicly accuse him of sexual harassment, first in a tweet last year and later in an online essay she published in February.

Among other comments and acts, Boylan claims Cuomo stepped in front of her and kissed her on the lips without consent as she exited a 2018 meeting in the governor's Manhattan office.

"Truly disgusting," Boylan tweeted Monday in response to Cuomo's comments. "This man is full of lies. Unfortunately for him, he does not control the truth and many people would have to ignore a lot of truth and evidence to accept this bulls---."

Note the difference between Boylan's nearly instant reaction and Governor Cuomo's relative non-responsiveness after weeks of hiding from questions.

Cuomo faces the press for first time since December

This article covers some of the same territory, but delves deeper into Governor Cuomo's pandemic "leadership" book scandal. Here's an excerpt:

Besides questions about sexual harassment, he fielded questions about his administration's nursing homes' policies and the alleged coverup by his administration of the true COVID-19 death toll in those facilities. He also was asked about his staff's assistance with the book, "American Crisis," he wrote and published about his administration's response to the pandemic while it was still unfolding.

“People volunteered to work on the book," he said. "Do you know anyone who said they have to work on the book who didn’t volunteer? Next question."

The reporter asking about that issue pressed on — something that would be impossible in a virtual press conference format — until the governor finally said: "I didn’t have them sign a volunteer form if that’s what you’re asking. ... Do you know anyone who worked on the book who said they didn’t volunteer?”

The Times Union has reported that some staffers said they did not believe their work was voluntary.

We'll pick up Governor Cuomo's comments regarding his COVID nursing home deaths scandals in a separate timeline entry.

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26 April 2021: A Recipe for Failed Reform of NY's Public Official Ethics Watchdog

26 April 2021: A Recipe for Failed Reform of NY's Public Official Ethics Watchdog
New York's ethics' overhaul on a slow path to reform, but will it get there?

This article is mostly about why a proposal for reforming New York's commission overseeing public officials is not going anywhere quickly, but does contain this description of what makes the current Joint Commission on Public Ethics (JCOPE) ineffective and how the leading proposal to change it is different from the current system:

Under the 2011 law creating JCOPE, the commission has 14 members: Six appointed by Cuomo and eight by leaders of both parties in the Legislature. Under special voting rules, two Cuomo appointees can kill an investigation into the governor. There's a similar rule giving legislatively appointed commissioners veto power over investigations into members of the Legislature.

Under the proposed constitutional amendment, only two members would be appointed by the governor and a total of four by the Democratic and Republican leaders in the Legislature. The other seven members – a slim majority – would be appointed jointly by New York’s chief judge and presiding justices of the state's appellate courts. Investigations could be authorized by a simple majority vote.

It also describes how the proposed changes would not really decrease the influence of the Governor in choosing who might investigate claims against public officials, which refers to New York's chief judge Janet DiFiore, who was appointed to her office by Governor Cuomo:

Under the proposed constitutional amendment, DiFiore’s partner in making seven appointments to the proposed new commission are the presiding officers of the Court of Appeals, who also receive their titles through appointments from Cuomo.

So while Cuomo would get far fewer direct appointments to the new commission, he would appoint the judges who would make the majority of appointments.

It's as if New York's government was controlled by a single political party whose members are intent on not being held accountable for any misdeeds they commit while in office.

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Major Milestones in Governor Cuomo's Nursing Home Deaths Scandals

When updating the timeline for New York Governor Andrew Cuomo's COVID-19 nursing home deaths scandals, we've noticed there are a number of events we keep referencing as new information becomes available. Here are those major milestones for quick reference!

Small Steps to Inevitable Tragedy in New York's Nursing Homes

Cuomo's Cover-up Begins as COVID Nursing Home Tragedy Deepens

Cuomo's Cover-up Ramps Up

Cuomo's Cover-up Collapses

Abuses of Power to Evade Consequences Begin, More Abuses Come to Light

Cuomo, Allies Fire Up Media Disinformation Campaign

Legal Developments in Cuomo Scandal Investigations

NY AG's Bombshell Report Corroborating Cuomo Sexual Harassment Drops, More Details of Misconduct Emerge

Cuomo's Support Network Collapses

Cuomo Announces Resignation

Agenda for Post-Cuomo Era Starts Being Defined

Cuomo Resigns

Aftermath Begins

Testimony, Reports Documenting Cuomo Misconduct Released

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