Republican New York Rep. Elise Stefanik and former Democratic New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo got into a heated shouting match on Tuesday over Cuomo’s responsibility for nursing home deaths during the COVID-19 lockdowns.
The House Oversight Committee’s Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic held a hearing to gather Cuomo’s testimony on his handling of nursing homes after reports revealed an undercounting of patient deaths. Stefanik stated the committee’s investigation found Cuomo and his senior aides “made a deliberate decision” to “exclude” certain information related to the deaths.
“And for the public, Governor Cuomo changed the methodology of counting nursing home fatalities to exclude out of facility deaths to undercount those. I want to ask you what period of time were you negotiating for your book deal?” Stefanik asked.
The former governor pushed back, questioning the facts of her statement. However, Stefanik continued to press Cuomo, asking again about his book deal, but he evaded the question.
“Governor, you’re throwing your staff under the bus, you are culpable for this. My question to you is, when were you negotiating for your multimillion dollar advance deal for your book as seniors were dying in nursing homes,” Stefanik said.
“You can’t make up facts, congresswoman,” Cuomo responded.
Stefanik then accused Cuomo of “making up facts,” urging him to “turn around” and look the families affected by nursing home deaths “in the eye and apologize” for what he “failed to do.”
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“This is not about political theater, it’s about giving answers. Why did 1.2 million Americans die? Why did more Americans die than any [other country] around the globe — ” Cuomo began.
“No, no, no, no! You’re the former governor who’s disgraced under oath,” Stefanik said. “This is about those seniors, governor. They deserve to hear from you, in the eye that you apologize. That you were negotiating for a multimillion dollar book deal. It is a disgrace. There is a reason why you are the former governor of New York state and you will never hold elected office again. I yield back.”
Cuomo issued an order in March 2020 preventing nursing homes from turning away individuals diagnosed with COVID-19. The Daily Caller News Foundation first reported in May 2020 that his administration knowingly undercounted nursing home deaths by altering its classification system.
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