Emails reveal that former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo drastically undersold his role in a report that deflected blame for the deaths of thousands of nursing home patients in the early days of the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, The New York Times reported Thursday.
Cuomo testified this month before the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic that he played no role in drafting the report and that he did not recall reviewing or giving editorial notes on it.
"This memo presents evidence that former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and his team were involved in the decision to issue New York's disastrous March 25 Directive, and then, acted repeatedly to downplay the tragic aftermath of their decision," wrote Chair Brad Wenstrup, R-Ohio.
However, a review of internal emails and documents reveal that Cuomo not only saw the report, but participated in writing early drafts of the document.
"Governor's edits are attached for your review," Cuomo's assistant Farrah Kennedy wrote in an email sent to several members of the former governor's senior staff on June 23, 2020. "The smaller text in the beginning is from your original document. He replaced your paragraph on page 3 beginning with 'But, like in all fifty states, there were Covid-positive cases.'"
Cuomo added specific notes to downplay how "community spread among employees or possibly visitation by family and friends were relevant factors" that contributed to nursing home deaths.
Cuomo initially tried to present himself as a sober and judicious leader during the pandemic, and even crafted a self-aggrandizing memoir, "American Crisis: Leadership Lessons from the Covid-19 Pandemic," which detailed his version of the events.
Yet, as the months rolled on, nursing home infections in Cuomo's state skyrocketed with more than 15,000 elderly patients suffering COVID-related deaths. Cuomo spokesman Rich Azzopardi blamed the deaths on "asymptomatic" staff and labeled the House panel a "MAGA committee," and argued that New York was following policies laid out by the Trump administration.