New York state lawmaker Ron Kim (D) on Thursday said there was “indisputable evidence” that former Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) covered up COVID-19 nursing home deaths between April 2020 and February 2021.
Kim told Hill.TV that it’s important to figure out “who profited from covering up” the deaths, explaining that Cuomo was set to make more than $5 million in a book deal before he was ordered to return the proceeds following an audit into the nursing home deaths.
“It’s criminal public fraud, and he needs to be held accountable,” Kim said, adding later of the New York State Department of Health: “This is one of the largest state agencies in charge of protecting people’s health and their lives, and they sold us out for politics and short-term gain.”
The audit report released on Tuesday found that Cuomo concealed evidence of 4,100 nursing home deaths and underreported the death toll by 50 percent.
Cuomo resigned from the governor’s office in August following sexual harassment allegations, but CNBC on Wednesday reported that the former governor was considering another run against his replacement and former lieutenant governor Kathy Hochul (D).
Kim said Cuomo wasn’t polling well in New York, but he stood a chance unless Hochul holds him accountable for “eldercide.”
“We have a very ageist sentiment and culture where we think older adults are disposable,” Kim said, arguing Cuomo “has further normalized and conditioned us to let us believe it’s okay to let us kill people in these facilities.”
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