NEW YORK (1010 WINS) – Mayor Bill de Blasio said Thursday that he believed Assemblyman Ron Kim after Kim said Gov. Andrew Cuomo called him last week and threatened him for raising questions about COVID-19 deaths at nursing homes.
"It's a sad thing to say, but that's classic Andrew Cuomo," de Blasio said on MSNBC's "Morning Joe."
"A lot of people in New York state have received those phone calls," the mayor said. "The bullying is nothing new. I believe Ron Kim, and it's very, very sad. No public servant, no person who is telling the truth, should be treated that way. But, yeah, the threats, the belittling, the demand that someone change their statement right that moment. Many, many times I've heard that, and I know a lot of other people in this state have heard that."
Asked at his briefing Thursday if he had experienced any "tough" conversations with the governor, de Blasio said, "many times."
"I believe Ron Kim," the mayor said. "First of all, you can just see about what he's saying, it's from the heart and it was a very painful experience for him. I believe him, and he did not deserve to be treated that way, and I admire him for coming forward and telling exactly what happened."
Kim said Cuomo vowed to "destroy" him during a private phone call on Feb. 11 for criticism the governor felt was unfair.
"Within seconds he started yelling that I haven't seen his wrath and anger and that he would absolutely destroy my life, you know, my career," Kim told 1010 WINS.
"He's a scary figure," Kim said. "I mean I can't count how many times I've heard him making threats. Not just to lawmakers, to staff members, to female staff members. You know, we all know it, but everyone is scared to speak up."
A spokesman for Cuomo said Kim's account of the phone call was not true.
"Mr. Kim is lying about his conversation with Governor Cuomo Thursday night," Rich Azzopardi, a senior adviser to the governor, said in a statement. "I know because I was one of three other people in the room when the phone call occurred. At no time did anyone threaten to 'destroy' anyone with their 'wrath' nor engage in a 'coverup.' That's beyond the pale and is unfortunately part of a years-long pattern of lies by Mr. Kim against this administration."
Kim was one of nine Democrats who signed a letter seeking support for the proposal to limit Cuomo's pandemic-related emergency powers, which are set to expire this spring.
The letter, sent to Assembly members Tuesday, said Cuomo's administration "deliberately covered up" the extent of deaths in nursing homes and "engaged in an intentional obstruction of justice."
Cuomo said earlier this week the state didn't cover up deaths but should have moved faster to release information. "No excuses: I accept responsibility for that," he said at a news conference.
Cuomo said it's a "lie" that he obstructed justice, and he told reporters Wednesday that he had a "long hostile relationship" with Kim.
The governor accused Kim of being "unethical" for backing nail salon owners as lawmakers discussed safety and wage reforms of the industry in 2015.
Kim had initially supported the reforms, but later opposed some of them after getting support from salon owners.
"I didn't say anything about Assemblyman Ron Kim. He attacked me," Cuomo said. "He attacked me and said that I obstructed justice in a letter."
"The governor can smear me all he wants in an effort to distract us from his fatally incompetent management," Kim said in a statement Wednesday. "But these facts are not going away because they are facts—unacceptable facts that hold him accountable."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
