ALBANY (WCBS 880) - Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Friday went on the defensive again, accusing critics of spreading lies, as his administration faces more questions about its handling of the COVID-19 pandemic in nursing homes.
During his briefing, Cuomo blamed political opponents for spreading falsehoods about nursing home deaths and said he "should have been more aggressive in fighting the misinformation."
The governor accused his critics of "causing pain" to the families of those who died from the virus and vowed he would not allow them to "hurt New Yorkers by lying about what happened."
In January, the New York State attorney general's office released a report claiming the Cuomo administration had undercounted COVID-19 deaths in nursing homes by as much as 50%.
The Cuomo administration has maintained their data has always been full and accurate.
For months, lawmakers had called on Cuomo to release more data on nursing home deaths and nursing home residents that died at hospitals, but the administration was delayed.
Last week it was revealed that one of Cuomo's top aides admitted in a call with Democratic lawmakers the administration "froze" in releasing the data, fearing it would be "used against us" by the Trump administration.
Cuomo said he told lawmakers that the Department of Justice was seeking the data as part of an investigation and explained that would take precedence, meaning the legislature would have to wait.
On Friday, Cuomo conceded that he should have provided more information sooner.
"We created a void by not producing enough public information fast enough. People wanted information; we did not produce public information fast enough. That creates a void," Cuomo said. "What happens in a void? Something fills the void and conspiracy theories, and politics and rumors fill the void."
Some have now come forward to accuse the Cuomo administration of a cover up and participating in "intentional obstruction of justice."
The governor denies the allegations and has vowed to "take on the lies and the unscrupulous actors," stressing he "should have done it before and I should have done it more aggressively."
"If you're lying to the people of the state of New York, I'm going to call it out. If you are lying in a report, I'm going to call it out. If you're lying in a newspaper because you have your own partisan agenda, I'm going to call it out," Cuomo said.
The governor said he regrets that he was "not aggressive enough in knocking down the falsity."
"I dismissed it as politics, I dismissed it as personal agendas, I dismissed it as partisan politics, but I should've been more aggressive in calling it out because it wasn't hurting me, it hurt the families who had questions about loved ones, and that was a mistake, and I make no excuses for that mistake," Cuomo said.
The governor reminded New Yorkers that the early days of the pandemic were horrible, and many people died and are still dying today. Cuomo stressed that the state tried to produce the most accurate information it could amid the chaos.
"It was a horrendous situation. It is a horrendous situation. You wanna talk about the spring - 116 people died yesterday… 100 people will die today. This is a horrendous situation. but I want you to have the facts because I don't want you to have more pain from this noise," Cuomo told New Yorkers. "This information of total deaths was provided, always…It is a lie to say any numbers were inaccurate. That is a lie. Total deaths were always reported to nursing homes and hospitals."
Cuomo concluded by saying he accepts blame for causing confusion in nursing homes throughout the state but, said he should have done more to defend Health Commissioner Dr. Howard Zucker and his team's handling of the pandemic.
"I take responsibility. That's what I think the people of the state of New York deserve," he said.
When asked by WCBS 880's Peter Haskell if he believes his credibility has been harmed by the nursing home scandal, Cuomo said he was always honest with New York lawmakers throughout the entire pandemic and there's no reason for them not to trust him.
"It's not a credibility issue. I said, 'No, I'm not answering your request now. I have a lot going on, we're managing the pandemic, we're responding to the Department of Justice,'" Cuomo said. "They didn't like the answer, I get that, but that's not a credibility issue."
As the governor seeks to set the record straight, calls have been mounting for the federal government to launch an investigation into the administration's handling of nursing homes.
In a statement Friday, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez joined the calls, stressing "thousands of vulnerable New Yorkers lost their lives in nursing homes throughout the pandemic" and saying an investigation was now needed.
"I support our state's return to co-equal governance and stand with our local officials calling for a full investigation of the Cuomo administration's handling of nursing homes during COVID-19," she wrote. "Their loved ones and the public deserve answers and transparency from their elected leadership, and the Secretary to the Governor's remarks warrant a full investigation."
As first reported by the Albany Times Union this week, the FBI and the U.S. Attorney in the Eastern District of New York have launched a preliminary investigation into the Cuomo administration.
LISTEN NOW on the RADIO.COM App
Follow WCBS Newsradio 880
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram