Republicans in the New York State Assembly announced on Thursday that they will push for an impeachment commission to “collect facts and evidence” around the way Governor Andrew Cuomo dealt with the coronavirus crisis and underreported deaths in COVID-19 nursing homes in the state.
Assembly Republicans on Thursday said they would introduce a measure to form an impeachment commission, which they said would be tasked with “examining the state’s management and conduct method in all matters relating to nursing homes and facilities. of long-term care during the COVID-19 pandemic. “
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The resolution would establish a 60-day deadline for the committee to conduct its work and present the conclusions and recommendations to the legislature.
The committee would be bipartisan and comprised of eight members, with two nominees from each legislative leader, and would have the same powers as a legislative committee, including the ability to summon witnesses and compel records, correspondence and documents related to the matter to be produced.
“The cover-up of the Cuomo administration’s nursing home is one of the most alarming scandals we’ve seen in the state government,” said Assembly minority leader Will Barclay in a statement. “Intentionally withholding critical information from the public, underreporting fatalities figures by 50 percent and the recent revelation that they hid the truth to prevent a federal Justice Department investigation are among the factors that increase the possibility of criminality.”
Barclay added: “It is the legislature’s responsibility to undertake a comprehensive and bipartisan review of the Cuomo government’s policies, decisions and actions on this matter and to make a decision on what measures should be taken to hold the governor accountable.”
Barclay said the legislature “has a responsibility to hold this administration accountable. Reversing the governor’s emergency powers is important, but it does not begin to scratch the surface of what is needed.”
Barclay seemed to confirm reports that “the federal government is investigating Governor Cuomo, as the Republicans of the Assembly have asked.”
“But by no means should the federal response prevent state lawmakers from seeking the truth, collecting facts and determining the appropriate course of action,” said Barclay.
The action by state Republicans comes as the FBI and the US Attorney General’s office in Brooklyn began an investigation into how the Cuomo administration handled the state’s nursing home crisis during the pandemic.
The investigation is not yet well underway and focuses on key members of the Cuomo coronavirus task force, the Albany Times-Union reported, citing a source with direct knowledge of the matter. Neither Cuomo nor any administration official has so far been charged with any wrongdoing.
Members of Cuomo’s task force include New York State Health Commissioner Howard Zucker and Governor Melissa DeRosa’s secretary. The latter was examined this month after apparently admitting that the governor’s team concealed information related to COVID-19-related deaths in nursing homes.
“As we said publicly, the DOJ has been investigating this for months. We have been cooperating with them and will continue,” said Cuomo’s senior advisor, Rich Azzopardi, in a statement.
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It is not clear whether Azzopardi’s statement refers to the Brooklyn Attorney General’s investigation, which the Times-Union describes as “in its early stages”. Azzopardi’s statement did not specify whether Cuomo’s office was in contact with the FBI or prosecutors about a new investigation.
Last month, New York Attorney General Letitia James said COVID-19 deaths in nursing homes in the state were underestimated by up to 50%. And things got worse last week after a report that an adviser to Cuomo told the state’s top Democratic lawmakers that the government had concealed data on COVID-19 deaths in nursing homes to avoid federal scrutiny.
But last year, Cuomo advised nursing homes in the state to accept patients who had or were suspected of having COVID-19. The decision created a violent attack on COVID-19 cases that infected thousands of elderly patients and resulted in hundreds of deaths among the state’s most vulnerable population.
James said a new report revealed that, on January 27, 2021, there were 5,597 confirmed deaths due to COVID-19 in nursing homes and an additional 2,783 presumed deaths. In assisted care centers, 160 deaths and 52 presumed deaths occurred.
James’ report said that government guidance requiring admission of patients with COVID-19 to nursing homes may have placed residents at greater risk of damage to some facilities and may have obscured the data available to assess that risk.
Cuomo, responding to questions from reporters last month after the report on deaths in nursing homes was released, defended himself and said: “Everyone did the best they could”.
At the news conference, Cuomo said the state followed federal guidelines. “If you think there was a mistake, go and talk to the federal government,” he said. “This is not about pointing fingers or blaming, it has become political football.”
Cuomo defended the nursing home policy in line with the Trump administration’s guidelines at the time.
James’ report said that government guidance requiring admission of patients with COVID-19 to nursing homes may have placed residents at greater risk of damage to some facilities and may have obscured the data available to assess that risk.
The Office of the Attorney General (OAG) has asked 62 nursing homes for data on deaths on their premises.
The report, which revealed the findings of an investigation into allegations of patient negligence and other “conduct” that endangered the health and safety of patients and staff, said that some facilities did not comply with health protocols to prevent the spread of the disease. virus.
Nursing homes that had low ratings from the US Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services Personnel had higher COVID-19 mortality rates.
In addition, the lack of sufficient personal protective equipment for the team, as well as the low availability of tests, could also have increased the patients’ risk of contracting the virus, the report said.
About 70% of the nearly 35,000 deaths from COVID in New York were people aged 70 or older, according to state data for January 28.
Investigations in more than 20 nursing homes whose conduct reported during the first wave of the pandemic of particular concern are still ongoing, added James.
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“As the pandemic and our investigations continue, it is imperative that we understand why nursing home residents in New York have suffered unnecessarily at such an alarming rate,” said James in a statement. “While we cannot bring back the individuals we lost in this crisis, this report seeks to provide the transparency that the public deserves and to encourage increased action to protect our most vulnerable residents.”
Thomas Barrabi of Fox News contributed to this report.