21 March 2022: Editorial - DiNapoli Audit Is Final Nail in Andrew M. Cuomo's Political Coffin

DiNapoli’s belated nursing-home audit the final nail in Cuomo’s political coffin

The New York Post's editors point to NYS Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli's audit of Andrew M. Cuomo's leadership performance during the coronavirus pandemic as Exhibit 1 in the case against Cuomo having any political future in New York. Here's the introduction:

Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo is reportedly considering a run against Gov. Kathy Hochul, but a devastating audit Tuesday by state Comptroller Tom DiNapoli should nip that crazy notion in the bud.

Instead of providing model “leadership” in the fight against COVID, as Cuomo continues to pretend he did, DiNapoli says New York’s response at nursing homes was among the worst in the nation.

Plus, the comptroller charges Team Cuomo with politicizing the Department of Health — intentionally misleading the public and suppressing facts in reporting COVID deaths at nursing homes.

DOH “was not transparent,” the audit states bluntly. It “routinely underreported death counts,” by as much as 100%. From April 2020 to February 2021, it failed to account for 4,100 nursing-home lives lost to the virus, falling “far short” of its “moral” responsibilities.

And here's the editors' bottom line:

At least it’s another blow to any Cuomo comeback. The ex-gov brags that he’s escaped criminal charges for all those allegations of sexual abuse. But the scathing reports of his nursing-home fiasco are indictment enough: Andrew Cuomo should never hold any political office again.

Indeed. He shouldn't.