New York governor Andrew Cuomo was asked at his Friday briefing about the continued criticism of the state’s coronavirus response, particularly with respect to the thousands of deaths in nursing homes.
Cuomo was asked about the response to the state Department of Health’s report and why he doesn’t just appoint an independent investigator.
The governor said the following:
“I don’t believe your characterization is correct. I believe it is a political issue. I think it’s the New York Post, I think it’s Michael Goodwin, I think it’s Bob McManus, I think it’s Fox TV. I think it is all politically motivated. If anybody looked at the facts, they would know that it was wholly absurd on its face. People died in nursing homes. That’s very unfortunate. Just on the top line, we are number 35th in the nation in percentage of deaths in nursing homes. Go talk to 34 other states first. Go talk to the Republican states now. Florida, Texas, Arizona. Ask them what is happening in nursing homes. It’s all politics.”
Cuomo has received a fair amount of criticism over the deaths in nursing homes from coronavirus, including from the New York Post and other outlets. Fox News’ Janice Dean called out Cuomo after her in-laws died in nursing homes. CNN’s Jake Tapper also recently criticized Cuomo for his “victory tour” on
You can watch Cuomo’s comments above, via NY1.