Andrew Cuomo again accused of lying to Congress about COVID nursing home deaths
Congressman James Comer, the chairman of the House Oversight Committee, is once again asking the Department of Justice to prosecute former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
At issue is Cuomo's testimony during a closed door congressional hearing into a report that undercounted the number of people who died in New York nursing homes during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Comer claims Cuomo lied under oath about his role in covering up the deaths of nursing home patients.
Cuomo accused of creating "calculated cover-up"
Comer initially asked former President Joe Biden's attorney general, Merrick Garland, to prosecute Cuomo, but he didn't.
Now, Comer wants Attorney General Pam Bondi to take another crack at it.
"Andrew Cuomo is a man with a history of corruption and deceit, now caught red-handed lying to Congress," Comer said in a statement. "This wasn't a slip-up. It was a calculated cover-up by a man seeking to shield himself from responsibility for the devastating loss of life in New York's nursing homes."
Cuomo's spokesman, Rich Azzopardi, dismissed the move as "meritless," saying, "As the DOJ constantly reminds people, this kind of transparent attempt at election interference and law-fare violates their own policies. Referrals like these... don't have to be resubmitted with a new administration, so the only point to doing this is politics."
A DOJ spokesman told CBS News New York they've received Comer's letter and they have no comment.
Could Comer's accusations be election interference?
With the former governor leading in the polls in New York City's mayoral race, the move has political and legal implications.
"These are serious allegations and I believe to be serious election interference. Look, we're only a couple of months from the primary. Former Governor Cuomo is leading the pack," law professor JC Polanco said.
Election interference is one of the arguments used by President Trump's Justice Department to ask a judge to dismiss corruption charges against Mayor Eric Adams.
CBS News New York political reporter Marcia Kramer says Comer's accusations are unlikely to hurt Cuomo politically, as the nursing home deaths have already been factored into why New Yorkers do or do not support Cuomo – and he's leading in the poll by double digits.
Kramer adds in a Democratic primary, being on the wrong side of the Trump White House is often considered a virtue.
