{"id":47519,"date":"2021-02-20T17:38:58","date_gmt":"2021-02-20T17:38:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/radiofree.asia\/?guid=dca94d17221e5e44486380fdc4af1f25"},"modified":"2021-02-20T17:38:58","modified_gmt":"2021-02-20T17:38:58","slug":"ocasio-cortez-backs-probe-of-cuomos-mishandling-of-nursing-home-covid-deaths","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/2021\/02\/20\/ocasio-cortez-backs-probe-of-cuomos-mishandling-of-nursing-home-covid-deaths\/","title":{"rendered":"Ocasio-Cortez Backs Probe of Cuomo\u2019s Mishandling of Nursing Home COVID Deaths"},"content":{"rendered":"<a href=\"https:\/\/truthout.org\/articles\/ocasio-cortez-backs-probe-of-cuomos-mishandling-of-nursing-home-covid-deaths\/\"><img width=\"200\" height=\"128\" src=\"https:\/\/truthout.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/GettyImages-1231283870-200x128.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail wp-post-image\" alt=\"Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez speaks to the media at the Houston Food Bank on February 20, 2021, in Houston, Texas.\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/truthout.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/GettyImages-1231283870-200x128.jpg 200w, https:\/\/truthout.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/GettyImages-1231283870-400x257.jpg 400w, https:\/\/truthout.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/GettyImages-1231283870-1200x770.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/truthout.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/GettyImages-1231283870-800x513.jpg 800w, https:\/\/truthout.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/GettyImages-1231283870-1536x985.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/truthout.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/GettyImages-1231283870-2048x1313.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/truthout.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/GettyImages-1231283870-2400x1539.jpg 2400w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px\" \/><\/a><p>Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Friday joined a <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/TweetBenMax\/status\/1362850483271061521\">chorus<\/a> of state and local officials demanding a probe of New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo&#8217;s catastrophic response to the coronavirus pandemic in the Empire State&#8217;s nursing homes.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I&#8230; stand with our local officials calling for a full investigation of the Cuomo administration&#8217;s handling of nursing homes during Covid-19,&#8221; the prominent Democratic lawmaker, who represents New York&#8217;s 14th Congressional District, <a href=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/homenews\/house\/539614-ocasio-cortez-calls-for-full-investigation-of-cuomos-handling-of-coronavirus\">said<\/a> in a statement released Friday.<\/p>\n<p>Ocasio-Cortez added that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.governor.ny.gov\/news\/statement-secretary-governor-melissa-derosa-0\">remarks <\/a>made earlier this month by Secretary to the Governor Melissa DeRosa, Cuomo&#8217;s top aide, &#8220;warrant a full investigation.&#8221;<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">.<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/AOC?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@AOC<\/a> on Andrew Cuomo&#39;s handling of nursing homes <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/R6ab0Nw0LX\">pic.twitter.com\/R6ab0Nw0LX<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Ross Barkan (@RossBarkan) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/RossBarkan\/status\/1362847960892121092?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">February 19, 2021<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>In a video conference call with state Democratic legislators last week, DeRosa <a href=\"https:\/\/www.axios.com\/cuomo-nursing-home-deaths-covid-derosa-james-25edde2a-1be3-438d-ad46-86d201b931c8.html\">admitted<\/a> that the administration withheld data on coronavirus deaths in nursing homes because Cuomo, a Democrat, feared the full picture would &#8220;be used against us&#8221; in a federal investigation by then-President Donald Trump&#8217;s Justice Department.<\/p>\n<p>DeRosa&#8217;s remarks came two weeks after New York Attorney General Letitia James, also a Democrat, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.axios.com\/new-york-undercounted-nursing-home-deaths-4758b7b9-d9ed-4aa0-9596-5445efcc6bcb.html\">released a report<\/a> accusing the Cuomo administration of undercounting Covid-19 deaths in nursing homes by as much as 50%. As <em>Axios<\/em> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.axios.com\/cuomo-nursing-home-deaths-covid-derosa-james-25edde2a-1be3-438d-ad46-86d201b931c8.html\">reported<\/a>, Cuomo shrugged off James&#8217; allegations, saying: &#8220;Who cares [if they] died in the hospital, died in a nursing home? They died.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Cuomo, who in October 2020 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2020\/oct\/17\/american-crisis-review-andrew-cuomo-new-york-covid-trump-biden\">published<\/a> a self-congratulatory book about his response to the pandemic, &#8220;has dismissed claims of wrongdoing,&#8221;<em> The Guardian<\/em> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2021\/feb\/19\/aoc-andrew-cuomo-nursing-homes-investigation\">reported <\/a>Friday. The governor said &#8220;information was not produced fast enough, which created &#8216;a void. And conspiracy theories and politics and rumors fill that void and you can&#8217;t allow inaccurate information to go unanswered.'&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>As <em>Common Dreams<\/em> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/news\/2021\/02\/18\/thats-classic-andrew-cuomo-says-de-blasio-after-ny-gov-accused-bullying-fellow\">reported <\/a>Thursday, Cuomo has publicly lashed out at\u2014and reportedly <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2021\/02\/17\/nyregion\/nursing-homes-cuomo-ron-kim.html\">threatened<\/a> to &#8220;destroy&#8221;\u2014state Assemblyman Ron Kim, one of the few Democratic lawmakers willing to criticize the powerful governor months ago over his disastrous approach to nursing homes during the pandemic.<\/p>\n<p>In July of last year, Kim <a href=\"https:\/\/www.news10.com\/news\/ny-news\/democrats-calling-for-investigation-into-covid-19-nursing-home-deaths\/\">demanded<\/a> the creation of an independent, bipartisan panel to investigate the Cuomo administration&#8217;s handling of long-term care facilities during the coronavirus crisis. The assemblyman also called on the governor to be fully transparent about the Covid-19 death toll in New York&#8217;s nursing homes, which he and other lawmakers <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thelcn.com\/news\/local\/probe-into-covid-19-deaths-in-new-york-s-nursing-homes-gets-bipartisan-push\/article_18515f1c-807e-5de9-be04-284ec70094d4.html\">believed<\/a> was being significantly undercounted by the state government.<\/p>\n<p>As <em>Common Dreams<\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/news\/2020\/05\/22\/cuomo-order-sent-estimated-4300-covid-19-patients-nursing-homes-denounced-single\"> reported <\/a>in May 2020, Cuomo was widely criticized for taking two months to revoke the New York state health department&#8217;s directive, issued last March, requiring nursing homes to accept still-recovering Covid-19 patients despite the lethal risk they posed to other vulnerable residents in long-term care facilities.<\/p>\n<p>DeRosa&#8217;s comments have not only vindicated Kim and other early critics but also led to allegations of a cover-up and growing scrutiny of the administration.<\/p>\n<p>The Cuomo administration now finds itself at the center a full-fledged investigation by the FBI and U.S. attorney&#8217;s office for the Eastern District of New York, the<em> Albany Times-Union<\/em> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.timesunion.com\/news\/article\/cuomo-investigation-fbi-covid-nursing-homes-15957401.php\">reported<\/a> Wednesday.<\/p>\n<p>In addition, Democratic leaders of the New York State Senate are beginning efforts to repeal Cuomo&#8217;s &#8220;unilateral emergency powers granted during the pandemic, setting up a remarkable rebuke for the governor from members of his own party,&#8221; the <em>New York Times<\/em> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2021\/02\/17\/nyregion\/cuomo-nursing-homes-deaths.html\">reported<\/a> Wednesday.<\/p>\n<p>Ocasio-Cortez&#8217;s intervention puts even more pressure on Cuomo.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Thousands of vulnerable New Yorkers lost their lives in nursing homes throughout the pandemic,&#8221; the progressive congresswoman said. &#8220;Their loved ones and the public deserve answers and transparency from their elected leadership.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"syndicated-attribution\">This post was originally published on <a href=\"https:\/\/truthout.org\/articles\/ocasio-cortez-backs-probe-of-cuomos-mishandling-of-nursing-home-covid-deaths\/\">Latest \u2013 Truthout<\/a>. <\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"https:\/\/truthout.org\/articles\/ocasio-cortez-backs-probe-of-cuomos-mishandling-of-nursing-home-covid-deaths\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"200\" height=\"128\" src=\"https:\/\/truthout.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/GettyImages-1231283870-200x128.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail wp-post-image\" alt=\"Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez speaks to the media at the Houston Food Bank on February 20, 2021, in Houston, Texas.\" loading=\"lazy\"><\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"entry-summary\">AOC is supporting calls for an investigation following revelations that the New York governor withheld coronavirus data.<\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":1873,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6594,338,304,2633,4,3692,6638],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47519"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1873"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=47519"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47519\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":47520,"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47519\/revisions\/47520"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=47519"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=47519"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=47519"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}