President Donald Trump's Department of Justice has launched a new criminal investigation into former Gov. Andrew Cuomo as the Democrat and longtime Trump critic mounts a mayoral bid for New York City, according to a new report in The New York Times.
The probe kicked off about a month ago as Republicans accused Cuomo of lying to lawmakers in Congress about his decisions as governor during the coronavirus pandemic, two people familiar with the matter told the Times. The investigation looks into the Cuomo administration's order forcing nursing homes to accept coronavirus patients from hospitals. The administration initially claimed the directive was in alignment with federal guidance at the time. It was later blamed for having placed vulnerable older adults at even greater risk.
The probe came after top Justice Department officials earlier this year demanded federal prosecutors drop their corruption case against current Mayor Eric Adams, who is running for re-election as an independent against Cuomo.
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The Times noted the dueling cases will surely "fuel further criticism" that Trump and his administration are "wielding the Justice Department as a cudgel to achieve political ends and punish his perceived enemies."
Rich Azzopardi, a spokesman for Cuomo, questioned the investigation.
“We have never been informed of any such matter, so why would someone leak it now?” he said. “The answer is obvious: This is lawfare and election interference plain and simple — something President Trump and his top Department of Justice officials say they are against.”
Azzopardi insisted his boss “testified truthfully to the best of his recollection about events from four years earlier, and he offered to address any follow-up questions from the subcommittee — but from the beginning this was all transparently political.”