Story at a glance
- New York Gov. Andrew Cumo is facing new allegations that his family was given preferential access to COVID-19 testing well into early 2021 after reports that Cuomo’s family received similar access early in the pandemic.
- Cuomo’s daughter and her boyfriend’s test samples, called “specials,” were whisked off to the Wadsworth Center where they were processed within hours, according to the New York Times.
- Cuomo’s office told The New York Post that the pair received special access ahead of a trip to see the governor on Easter weekend, and there was no one on site to administer the tests.
New York Gov. Andrew Cumo (D) is facing new allegations that his family was given preferential access to COVID-19 testing well into early 2021 after reports that his family received similar special treatment early in the pandemic.
The New York Times reported that Mariah Kennedy Cuomo, one of the governor’s daughters, and her boyfriend gave priority test samples to a state-operating testing site in Albany on April 3. The samples, called “specials,” were whisked off to the Wadsworth Center where they were processed within hours, according to the Times.
Cuomo’s office told The New York Post that the pair received special access ahead of a trip to see the governor on Easter weekend and there was no one on site to administer the tests. Priority testing is meant to be reserved for cases that could be linked to possible outbreaks, the Times reported.
The latest case follows accusations that the governor’s guests received the same treatment last year, which raised suspicions in the Health Department that the governor’s family members were getting the same special treatment, according to NYT.
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But an attorney for Cuomo told the Times the testing would be considered proper protocol.
“It would be a proper exercise of discretion to give priority testing to anybody who came in contact with the governor,” said Elkan Abramowitz, an attorney representing Cuomo, told the Times.
Reports surfaced in March that Cuomo, his brother, CNN anchor Chris Cuomo, and one of the sisters got priority COVID-19 testing early in the pandemic. New York Attorney General Letitia James has called for an investigation and prompted an additional probe, according to NYT.
The New York Post reported that Cuomo’s office has acknowledged that the governor and his family received priority access to COVID-19 testing in the early weeks of the pandemic.
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