For months, Congressman Ron Kim was one of the few Democratic lawmakers willing to criticize Governor Andrew M. Cuomo for his way of dealing with state nursing homes during the pandemic, pushing for investigations into the matter.
Then, when a top Cuomo aide recently admitted that his government had hidden state home data from state lawmakers, Kim, whose district of Queens was hit hard by the coronavirus, said it looked like the governor was “trying to dodge any incriminating evidence. ”
Hours after Kim made that comment to The New York Post last Thursday, he said he received an angry call from the governor late at night. Mr. Cuomo started with a question – “Are you an honorable man?” – and then started shouting for 10 minutes, Mr. Kim recalled, threatening to publicly stain the deputy and urging him to issue a new statement clarifying his comments.
Mr. Cuomo fulfilled his threat on Wednesday afternoon.
In a remarkable reply, the governor used his press conference to accuse the deputy of impropriety, saying that he and his government have a “long and hostile relationship” with Kim, now in his fifth term.
In particular, Mr. Cuomo was angry and combative with a letter published by The New York Post that was signed by several members of the Assembly, including Mr. Kim. The letter, citing the governor’s delays in publishing a complete record of the deaths of nursing home residents, including those that happened after a resident was transferred to a hospital, accused Cuomo of trying to bypass a federal investigation and “intentional obstruction of justice. “
In lengthy comments, Mr. Cuomo also accused the deputy of a “continuous racket” soliciting donations from salon owners, who were upset about a 2015 nail salon overhaul that he helped draft.
“I believe it was unethical, if not illegal,” said Cuomo, suggesting that Kim was engaging in “pay to play”.
The blunt comings and goings come as the Cuomo government continues to grapple with the consequences of a series of revelations on data retention, effectively covering the full extent of how many nursing home residents died of the virus.
Last month, the Cuomo administration nearly doubled the official death toll of asylum residents, from about 8,500 to more than 15,000 – in the face of a hard-hitting report by state attorney general Letitia James and a court order.
Mr. Cuomo vehemently denied any wrongdoing, despite a nearly six-month delay between the legislators ‘formal request in August and the release of the data following James’ report.
Many lawmakers were irritated by the governor’s lack of frankness regarding asylums and other issues. The delay in disclosing data to lawmakers in particular has damaged his relationship with Democrats, who rule both houses of the legislature, and has encouraged attacks by Republicans.
The latest catalyst involves a private meeting between Melissa DeRosa, the governor’s secretary, and Democratic lawmakers, including Kim.
Ms. DeRosa told lawmakers last Wednesday that the Cuomo government failed to comply with lawmakers’ month-long request for data on deaths in nursing homes because the Department of Justice made a similar request. She said the government was concerned that former President Donald J. Trump would politicize the issue and open a formal investigation into how Cuomo deals with asylums.
Ms. DeRosa said the Trump administration transformed nursing homes “into a giant political football” and, upon receiving the Justice Department’s request, “basically, we froze”.
The next day, after the Post story was published, Mr. Kim was at home with his wife and about to bathe his children when he received the call from the governor.
Cuomo, he said, was furious with him over Kim’s comments to The Post, which quoted him saying, among other things, that what he got out of the call was that the Cuomo government “had to first ensure that the state was protected from federal investigation. “
“He says that I had not seen his anger and rage, that he would destroy me and leave tomorrow and start saying how bad I am, I would be finished and how he bit his tongue about for months,” said Kim. “This was all shouting. It was not a pleasant tone. “
Kim said he felt bad about DeRosa’s position and even tried to get the Post to remove his quotes before receiving the call from the governor. Kim said that Cuomo asked him to issue a new statement saying that he had actually misunderstood Mrs. DeRosa. He said the governor wanted Kim to say that DeRosa told lawmakers that the reason they withheld data from the nursing home was because the government was busy responding to the Justice Department’s request.
But Kim told The Times that he was not prepared to issue a new statement that contradicted what he heard in the DeRosa call.
“Basically, I saw a crime and he’s asking me to say that I didn’t see that crime,” said Kim. “I heard what I heard and I can’t lie.”
A spokesman for the governor, when asked about Cuomo’s connection with Kim, initially suggested that the governor’s comments on Wednesday had sufficiently addressed the issue.
But after this article was published, spokesman Richard Azzopardi said that Cuomo only asked Kim to clarify his comments because the deputy told him they were taken out of context in the Post article.
Cuomo officials added that the governor never said he would “destroy” Kim, and characterized the conversation between the two men as “calm”, denying that the governor shouted.
“His story focuses on a false claim in a multiyear hostile relationship with several claims made by Kim,” said Azzopardi. “Sir. Kim is a longtime hostile opponent of the governor.”
Kim said the governor called him four more times on Saturday, but Kim did not answer because he was stressed about the situation and felt uncomfortable. He has since hired a lawyer and told the governor’s office that any future communications should involve his lawyer.
“The governor can personally attack me as much as he wants in an effort to distract us from his incompetent management,” Kim said in a statement. “But these facts are not disappearing because they are facts and are unacceptable.”