WASHINGTON – Senator Ted Cruz and eight other Republican lawmakers on the powerful Senate Judiciary Committee urged President Dick Durbin to open an investigation into the growing death scandal in Governor Andrew Cuomo’s nursing homes.
In a letter sent on Wednesday night, lawmakers asked Durbin (D-Il.) To immediately schedule hearings on the conduct of the Cuomo government, which is being shaken by allegations that it has deliberately withheld the death toll of COVID- 19 in federal nursing homes.
Senator Ted Cruz, R-Texas, speaks to reporters at the Capitol in Washington, Saturday, February 13, 2021, on the fifth day of former President Donald Trump’s second impeachment trial. (AP Photo / Alex Brandon)
“The American people deserve to know to what extent Governor Cuomo and his senior team violated the civil rights of the elderly in New York, lied to the Justice Department about their actions and violated federal civil and criminal laws in the process,” say lawmakers. wrote.
“That so many people have lost their lives unnecessarily because of the failed policies of Governor Cuomo’s government – a government that many praised last year – is tragic and deserves a thorough investigation and accounting.”
Cruz (R-Texas) was accompanied by Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Lindsey Graham (RS.C.), John Cornyn (R-Texas), Mike Lee (R-Utah), Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) , Thom Tillis (RN.C.) and Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.).
FBI, US LAWYER INVESTIGATING NY GOV. CUOMO ADMINISTRATION HANDLING NURSING HOME CRISIS: REPORT
In their letter, the senators also said they expected Merrick Garland, the attorney general appointed by President Biden, to commit to investigating the scandal.
“When Judge Garland testifies before this Committee, we expect him to commit the Department of Justice to thoroughly investigate this cover-up to determine whether any criminal laws have been violated and to prosecute any violations,” they wrote.
Police said an investigation behind closed doors by the Department of Justice would be very slow and would allow those responsible to avoid public accountability.
Cuomo spokesman Rich Azzopardi said of Cruz’s request: “Every death in this pandemic is a tragedy and a shame for the Caucus of Betrayal for exploiting them to divert attention from the fermentation of the Capitol uprising that resulted in death of a police officer “.
ARCHIVE: New York Governor Andrew Cuomo delivers his state speech from virtually The War Room at the State Capitol in Albany, NY
(AP)
Last week, The Post revealed that Cuomo’s top aide, Melissa DeRosa, admitted to a group of state lawmakers that she had kept the death toll in COVID-19 nursing homes for fear that the real numbers “would be used. against us “by federal prosecutors.
The report followed a bombastic report by NY Attorney General Letitia James, who found that COVID-19 deaths in Empire State nursing homes were 50 percent higher than Cuomo – who wrote a poor book timed about his leadership during the crisis – he said.
A Post analysis of the latest data from the state Department of Health showed that Cuomo’s COVID-19 cover-up of deaths in nursing homes hid nearly 1,900 deaths in New York City alone.
The rush continued on Wednesday, when Congressman Ron Kim (D-Queens) said he received a threatening phone call from Cuomo last week, which threatened to be “destroyed” if it did not help to contain the crisis.
Kim, who said he was “in the middle of my kids’ bath,” said Cuomo asked him to write a statement to say that DeRosa did indeed tell state lawmakers that they would obey federal prosecutors.
During the conversation, Kim said, Cuomo warned him, “You haven’t seen my anger. I’ve been biting my tongue for months.”
CUOMO RESPONDS TO THE DEMOCRATIC LAWYER WHO COMPLAINS THE GOVERNOR SAID THAT ‘DESTRUCTURES’: ‘MR. KIM IS LYING ‘
“I can tell the whole world that you are a bad person and it will be over,” said Kim, who said Cuomo. “You will be destroyed.”
Wednesday’s letter is not the first time Cruz has raised concerns about how Cuomo is dealing with the pandemic.
Last month, he introduced an amendment to the budget package that required a DOJ investigation to determine whether officials like Cuomo could be criminally or civilly responsible for ordering patients with COVID-19 to be placed in nursing homes.
Cuomo, unapologetically, used a news conference on Wednesday to attack The Post and Congressman Kim for exposing the scandal surrounding his administration.
After praising his leadership for months, Democrats’ patience seems to have run out.
Nine Democratic members of the New York State Assembly on Tuesday accused Cuomo of federal obstruction of justice in a letter calling for support to remove him from his emergency powers COVID-19.
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During a meeting in the Oval Office with Cuomo on Friday, after the explosive report, Biden chose not to address the scandal because “it was not the focus of the conversation or a topic,” said spokeswoman Jen Psaki.
Durbin did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Wednesday.
To read more in The New York Post, click here.