While the nation may be moving on from the coronavirus pandemic, congressional Republicans are not moving on from questions of accountability for actions that former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo took during that time, Rep. Nicole Malliotakis said on Newsmax on Wednesday.
"As a New Yorker, I saw constituents lose loved ones," the New York Republican told Newsmax's "Wake Up America." "I believe they lost loved ones in nursing homes because of the mandates put in place by Gov. Andrew Cuomo that were not in sync with federal guidance."
Malliotakis is a member of the House Select Committee on the Coronavirus Pandemic, which on Tuesday subpoenaed Cuomo about his decision to allow patients with COVID-19 into New York's nursing homes during the peak of the pandemic.
"We knew all the time that seniors were the most vulnerable, and yet he put COVID-positive patients in with our most vulnerable, even after all the alternatives, setting up makeshift hospitals [and] the U.S. Navy Comfort ship," Malliotakis said. "As a result, 15,000 seniors in our nursing homes died, and we want accountability."
Malliotakis added that Cuomo has been "hiding something" because he has refused to speak to the subcommittee for the past two years.
"We want to prevent this from happening ever again," she said. "We need to know answers now as to what occurred."
Meanwhile, the White House on Monday lifted its COVID-19 testing requirement for people planning to be in close contact with President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, and their spouses, ending the last coronavirus prevention protocol at the White House.
Malliotakis said it's "interesting" that the policy was kept in place for so long.
"We're turning a page here, at least the Democrats are that control our country, and we're moving on just like the rest" of the world, said Malliotakis.
Malliotakis also on Wednesday talked about her decision to invite NYPD Lieutenant Ben Kurian, one of the police officers who was attacked recently by migrants in Times Square, to the State of the Union address Thursday.
"I wanted to highlight the great work that our NYPD does with little appreciation and the difficult laws that the Democrats in New York have put on the books that have made their jobs nearly impossible," Malliotakis said.
She added that she extended the invitation to "shed light on Biden's broken policies."
"This should have never happened," Malliotakis said. "Those individuals were in the United States because of Biden. He gave them parole to come to the United States … they should have that parole stripped, and they should be deported."
Malliotakis said that if former President Donald Trump was in office the attacks would not have happened.
"He would never have granted parole to individuals, like the current president does, with a disregard for public safety and a disregard for our law enforcement," she said.
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