A House subcommittee tasked with investigating the country's response to the coronavirus pandemic on Tuesday asked a former New York state official about the administration's response to nursing homes during the pandemic, according to documents first obtained by ABC News. Governor Andrew Cuomo was summoned.
Specifically, the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic announced one of the Cuomo administration's most controversial coronavirus-era directives: admitting recovered coronavirus-positive patients from hospitals to nursing care. They are trying to question Mr. Cuomo about his directives to facilities, which have faced criticism that they say led to the spread of infections. Increase in deaths in nursing homes.
The subpoena and letter from the Republican-led subcommittee are the latest developments for the former New York governor, who has faced intense scrutiny over his administration's handling of nursing homes during the pandemic. In 2021, ABC News reported that federal prosecutors in Brooklyn were investigating Cuomo's coronavirus task force with a focus on nursing homes. No charges were filed.
“Accordingly, please find the subpoena to appear for a deposition attached to this letter,” Tuesday's letter states.
The subpoena was signed by Republican Rep. James Comer, chairman of the Oversight Committee, which gives the subcommittee the authority to issue subpoenas. He has requested a May 24 deposition in Washington.
Mr. Cuomo, who briefly garnered attention for his leadership during the pandemic and became known for his daily briefings, defended the March 2020 directive and then rescinded it weeks later. He said it was based squarely on federal guidelines and accused those investigating the issue of “politicking.”
Mr. Cuomo's spokesperson said in a statement Tuesday that the subpoena was a “clear media show” and that Congress was “playing.”[ing] New coronavirus and politics using weapons[ing] People's pain and loss of loved ones. ”
“The simple fact is that not only has the Justice Department reviewed it three times under the Trump and Biden administrations, but so has Congress and the Manhattan district attorney,” Cuomo's press secretary Rich Azzopardi said in a statement. It didn't come out,” he said. ABC News. “New York State followed the guidelines put forth by the Trump administration in March 2020, as did other Democratic and Republican states. If you have a problem with that, look in the mirror. Congress knows this, but… It's not about Congress that matters.'' In fact, this is about politics. ”
In a seven-page letter to Cuomo that accompanied Tuesday's subpoena, the committee said the committee would continue to investigate “the effectiveness of federal guidance and regulations” enacted during the pandemic. He called Cuomo's testimony “extremely important.”
In a letter, the committee, chaired by Republican Rep. Brad Wenstrup, directly linked what it called Cuomo's “bad decisions” to “predictable but deadly consequences” in nursing homes. , cited “troubling evidence” that the Cuomo administration “is, at best, downplaying its impact.” And in the worst case scenario, they were hidden. ”
“Former Governor Cuomo has an obligation to answer to the 15,000 families who lost loved ones in New York nursing homes during the COVID-19 pandemic,” Wenstrup said in a statement. “His testimony will be critical to clarifying the circumstances that led to his misguided policies and to ensuring that his fatal mistakes are never made again.”
A New York State Department of Health report analyzing the impact of the directive said it was “not likely to be a cause” of infections or deaths in nursing homes. An impeachment inquiry into Mr. Cuomo later found that the directive had been “substantially revised by the executive branch and was primarily intended to counter criticism.”
Mr. Cuomo has also come under fire for allegedly misreporting the number of coronavirus deaths in nursing homes. In early 2021, a report by New York State Attorney General Letitia James found that the number of coronavirus deaths in New York state had been “undercounted” by up to 50%.
Mr. Cuomo later said he “took responsibility” and “should have provided more information sooner.”
Mr. Cuomo's subpoena to meet with the committee came after months of back and forth with attorneys to schedule the voluntary meeting, which the committee said in a letter because Mr. Cuomo It was an attempt to “delay and obstruct the investigation.” The letter describes dozens of emails and multiple meetings between Cuomo's lawyers and subcommittee staff in December, January and February, which ultimately led to Cuomo's His lawyer said he could be contacted in August.
“You repeatedly and consistently dismissed, deflected, or ignored all questions and requests from the Special Subcommittee on the Treatment of Nursing Homes,” the letter said. “Your failure to seriously cooperate with our requests and to negotiate a reasonable date for you to participate in the transcription of the interviews has unduly delayed our investigation. This is unacceptable.”
Mr. Cuomo's press secretary, Mr. Azzopardi, disputed that characterization, saying that Mr. Cuomo's lawyer had set up a meeting with him two weeks in advance and “even offered to have any questions answered in advance in writing.” ” he said.
In a letter sent to the subcommittee Tuesday night, Cuomo's attorney Rita Galvin said Cuomo had previously offered multiple dates for interviews in August but had not heard back until Tuesday. As such, he asked the subcommittee to “reconsider issuing the subpoena.”
“Let me be clear: Governor Cuomo has been and will continue to be supportive,” Glavine said in a letter to the committee, a copy of which was obtained by ABC News.
“Governor Cuomo has been fully cooperative, agreed to transcribe the interview, and provided four dates for the interview two weeks in advance. The subcommittee agreed it could even be held in New York.” Glavine said in a statement to ABC News. “There was no need for a subpoena and they know that.”
The House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic was established in 2020.
ABC News' Aaron Katasky contributed to this report.
