Cuomo committed ‘medical malpractice’ during COVID crisis: House report

Former Governor. That Andrew Cuomo committed “medical malpractice” and publicly understated the total number of COVID-related nursing home deaths in New York during the worst of the deadly pandemic is a devastating final point. Investigation report released by a key House panel received,

The report from the Republican-led House Select Subcommittee on the coronavirus pandemic, released Monday, also concluded that Cuomo “probably made false statements” about his role in pandemic-related decision-making.

The House panel found that this actually included him being “directly involved” in the infamous March 2020 order directing nursing homes to accept recovering COVID-19 patients — and The July 2020 report underestimated pandemic-related deaths of residents.

In another conclusion, the report Concluded that Cuomo Referring to his contacts with former adviser James Malatras, he “acted consistent with an attempt to improperly influence the testimony of a witness and obstruct the Select Subcommittee’s investigation.”

The House previously released documents making allegations about the actions of Cuomo and his administration — but the final report of more than 500 pages paints a devastating picture of the three-term Democratic governor’s decisions, which the subcommittee claims That this has caused harm to public health.

Cuomo — who is planning a political comeback to run for mayor in 2021 after resigning the governorship after denying sexual misconduct allegations — dismissed the report as a partisan GOP witch hunt.

“This is the same weak case that MAGA Republicans on this committee have been presenting for months, if not years,” said Cuomo spokesman Richard Azzopardi.

But Representative Brad Wenstrup, the Ohio Republican who chairs the panel, said in the report’s opening letter that there was bipartisan consensus on many topics, including “the extent to which former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo participated in medical malpractice and publicly covered up the total number of cases.” ” Nursing home deaths in New York.

The more than 40-page report focuses entirely on Cuomo and the state government’s response to the pandemic. Cuomo’s name appears 203 times in the report.

Among the reported findings in the report are:

• The Cuomo administration’s March 25, 2020 directive that recovering COVID-19 patients be admitted or readmitted to nursing homes was “medical malpractice”, “contrary to known science”, and inconsistent with federal guidance – and the Executive Chamber “attempted to cover it up.”
• Contrary to his denials during House testimony, Cuomo and his top aides and advisers were “directly involved” and approved the infamous directive, which was later rescinded after a public outcry.
• Cuomo administration officials testified that the governor ordered the controversial state health department report of July 6, 2020, to counter criticism of the March 25 order — which underestimated nursing home residents’ deaths from COVID. Was criticized for.
• Cuomo was directly involved in editing the July report and directing people outside the government — such as Northwell Health CEO Michael Dowling and Greater NY Hospital CEO Kenneth Ruske — to review it. Shortly before the report’s release and in a memo obtained by the House panel, Dowling offered to help “rewrite” it.
• Cuomo’s executive chamber decided to remove “out-of-facility” deaths from the July report — such as nursing home residents who died of COVID after falling ill and being transferred to hospitals, thus reducing the total number of deaths. The rate decreased dramatically.

The panel also concluded that “Mr. Andrew Cuomo likely made false statements to the select subcommittee in violation of 18 U.S.C. – a federal crime punishable by up to five years in prison if convicted.”

The committee said in October that it had referred Cuomo’s “criminally false statements” to the U.S. Justice Department for possible prosecution.

Cuomo’s representative, Azzopardi, claimed that the House was out to capture “perceived political enemies”.

“From the beginning this has been an abuse of power and a waste of taxpayer money aimed at punishing perceived political enemies – like Dr. (Anthony) Fauci (then-director of the National Institute of Infectious Diseases), Governor Cuomo and the ‘Deep’ State ‘ – It does nothing to prepare us more for the next pandemic,” he said.

He claimed federal data shows New York ranked 39th for nursing home deaths per capita in 2020.

“The DOJ – three times – the Manhattan DA and others looked at the nursing home issue and found no wrongdoing, while a meritless civil lawsuit initiated by the same people who were working closely with this committee got thrown out of court. Was gone,” Azzopardi added.

The families of loved ones who were nursing home residents who died from COVID said Cuomo is ultimately being held accountable.

“Cuomo has been lying about following Trump CDC guidelines for years,” Peter Urbany saidWhose father Norman died of the virus after his release from a Brooklyn nursing home.

“If the Cuomo administration had followed the Trump (administration) CDC guidelines and also used the USS Comfort ship and the Javits Center (for more patients), thousands of lives would have been saved.”