ALBANY (WCBS 880) — The FBI and the U.S. Attorney in the Eastern District of New York have launched an investigation into the Cuomo administration’s handling of nursing homes amid the pandemic, according to a Times Union report.
The paper reports the investigation is still in its early stages and is looking into members of Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s coronavirus task force relating to nursing homes and long-term care facilities.
The governor had come under scrutiny by lawmakers on both sides of the aisle recently after a close aide admitted on a call with Democratic lawmakers that the Cuomo administration “froze” on releasing data related to COVID-19 deaths in nursing homes because they feared it would be "used" against them. Cuomo's office on Wednesday released the full transcript of the call.
The state had been reporting that the death toll in the facilities was around 8,500, however, data from the Cuomo administration later showed the number was closer to 15,000.
Cuomo has since been accused of trying to cover up nursing home deaths and participating in “intentional obstruction of justice.”
Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have also been calling for Cuomo's emergency powers granted amid the pandemic to be rolled back.
On Monday, Gov. Cuomo stopped short of an apology for how nursing homes were handled but did say he would have done some things differently.
He denied any wrongdoing in reporting the number of deaths and said the figures released by the state were accurate to their knowledge.
“Everyone was busy, everybody was here every day. We're in the midst of managing a pandemic,” Cuomo said.
According to the Times Union, a spokesperson for the governor said the Department of Justice has been looking into their handling of nursing homes for months and the administration has been “cooperating with them and we will continue to.”
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