Andrew Cuomo Accuses DOJ of 'Election Interference' Amid Reported Inquiry
By Sonam Sheth and Anna Commander
New York City mayoral candidate and former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo accused the Trump administration of "lawfare and election interference" after The New York Times reported that the Department of Justice (DOJ) has launched a criminal investigation into whether Cuomo lied to Congress about his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Newsweek reached out to the DOJ for comment via email on Tuesday.
The Context
Cuomo announced earlier this month that he will run for mayor of New York City as a Democrat and an independent. He's widely viewed as New York City Mayor Eric Adams' strongest rival in the race.
Adams was facing criminal charges of his own until earlier this year, when President Donald Trump's DOJ dropped federal bribery and campaign finance charges against Adams, freeing up the mayor to assist Trump with his immigration agenda.
Andrew Cuomo
New York City mayoral candidate and former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo marches in the Israel Day Parade on Sunday in New York. Yuki Iwamura/AP
What To Know
Cuomo's spokesperson lambasted Trump and top DOJ officials in a statement to the Times, saying: "We have never been informed of any such matter, so why would someone leak it now? 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."
Cuomo's spokesperson, Rich Azzopardi, added that the mayoral candidate "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."
Republicans initially referred Cuomo to the DOJ for prosecution in October, when Democrats were in power. The department did not act on the referral at the time.
But according to the Times, the U.S. Attorney's Office in Washington, D.C., initiated the inquiry about a month ago after Republicans renewed their request that Cuomo be prosecuted for making false statements to Congress about his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic when he was New York governor.
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The focus of the DOJ's reported inquiry is a September 2024 congressional hearing during which Cuomo was grilled over his March 2020 directive that nursing homes accept recovering COVID-19 patients.
Critics said the directive may have contributed to the virus' spread, but Cuomo maintained during the hearing that he was following federal guidelines on the issue and accused Republicans of trying to deflect from the first Trump administration's handling of the pandemic.
What People Are Saying
Republican Representative James Comer of Kentucky posted on X, formerly Twitter, on Tuesday: "🚨🚨🚨DOJ just opened an investigation into Andrew Cuomo's COVID nursing home tragedy in New York. This comes after @GOPoversight caught Cuomo red-handed lying to Congress and resent a criminal referral to Attorney General Pam Bondi last month. Cuomo must be prosecuted."
Zohran Kwame Mamdani, another New York City mayoral candidate, posted on X on Tuesday: "Andrew Cuomo's career has been defined by corruption and deceit and his lying to Congress about his COVID response is no exception."
Mamdani continued, "But Donald Trump cannot be trusted to pursue justice. While I believe New Yorkers should reject the disgraced ex-Governor at the ballot box, the Trump administration's actions are dangerous."
Gregg Nunziata, executive director of the Society for the Rule of Law and a former adviser to Marco Rubio, posted on X: "Judges, congressmen, and political rivals are not above the law. But when the admin pardons pro Trump criminals and targets critics, and when it puts ideological maniacs in charge of law enforcement, we should be very concerned."
What Happens Next
It's not immediately clear how far along the DOJ's investigation is or whether prosecutors have enough evidence to file charges against the former governor.
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