Cuomo again declares ‘I did nothing wrong,’ says he will not be resigning
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo once more on Monday states that he “did nothing wrong” following many scandals of sexual harassment, creating a toxic work environment and covering up nursing home coronavirus deaths in his state.
Cuomo made the statement at a press briefing in Albany while answering questions from Fox News’ Bryan Llenas.
Cuomo was questioned whether he would decide anything about his political future after the release of a report by Attorney General Letitia James on his supposed sexual harassment of many women, or if he would delay until after the state legislature’s impeachment inquiry.
“I’ve already told New Yorkers where I am,” Cuomo said in response to that question. “I did nothing wrong. And period and I’m not resigning and I’m doing my job every day.”
Cuomo was also questioned if he would approve a separate investigation by James into his administration’s supposed cover-up of nursing home deaths. Senior aides for the governor purposely wanted to avoid New York state health officials, including Commissioner Howard Zucker, from publishing the true death toll, The New York Times reported last week, citing interviews and newly found documents.
As previously reported by Fox News, Cuomo’s administration was logging the location of nursing home residents’ coronavirus deaths since around April 2020, regardless of claims those numbers could not be confirmed for a report released months following.
“Nursing homes is being looked at by the Eastern District. That was a political investigation started by Donald Trump, who politicized not just COVID, but then politicized nursing homes and policies towards nursing homes and wanted to blame Democratic governors like myself and Michigan and New Jersey and Pennsylvania,” Cuomo said Monday.
Cuomo further called the entire Department of Justice under former President Trump a “political Department of Justice.”
Cuomo has declined to resign even though the amount widespread pleas for him to do so by leaders in the New York state legislature and nationwide for months.
Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, the state’s two senators, each called for Cuomo to resign in March, along with a good deal of other members of the New York congressional delegation.
In addition to the sexual harassment allegations and the supposed nursing home cover-up, Cuomo faces allegations that his offices focused family members and allies for coronavirus tests early in the pandemic, and that he and his senior aides have a tendency of berating and belittling lower-level aides and reporters.
Further, Cuomo still has not revealed how much he made on his book deal last year and faces accusations that he illegally used campaign resources to drive book sales. Cuomo’s book, named “American Crisis, Leadership Lessons from the COVID-19 Pandemic,” was published as his state had the second-highest death rate from the virus, behind New Jersey.
Cuomo was questioned on Monday to reveal how much he made from the book but he did not answer, saying he would only do so when his tax returns are released.
Fox News’ Brittany De Lea and Brian Llenas contributed to this report.