- Top Cuomo aide in charge of vaccines resigns
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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:
- 14 March 2021: Other Odds and Ends for the Day's Cuomo Scandal News
- 19 March 2021: Roundup of News Featuring Governor Cuomo Seeking Support and Bullying Underlings
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:
