Democratic Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez called for an investigation on Friday into New York Governor Andrew Cuomo steering his state into a nursing home crisis, US media reported.
“I support our state’s return to co-equal governance and stand with our local officials calling for a full investigation of the Cuomo administration’s handling of nursing homes during COVID-19,” she wrote in a statement, according to the New York Post.
“Thousands of vulnerable New Yorkers lost their lives in nursing homes throughout the pandemic. Their loved ones and the public deserve answers and transparency from their elected leadership, and the Secretary to the Governor’s remarks warrant a full investigation.”
In a report released in January, the state attorney general alleged that it appeared a complete tally about the state’s response to COVID in care homes and the handling of related data had not been provided to state lawmakers.
Cuomo was accused of holding back data about nursing home deaths, which a state attorney general probe found were 50% higher than the governor’s administration said.
Recently, State Assemblyman Ron Kim too accused Cuomo of threatening to “destroy” him unless he helped contain the fallout from the political maelstrom.
Meanwhile, top Republican state assemblyman Will Barclay wants to set up a bipartisan impeachment commission against Cuomo.
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“I don’t know how close we are to impeachment, but, what we are calling for is an impeachment commission, a bipartisan commission made up of eight members – four Republicans, four Democrats – to investigate if there were any crimes committed by the governor with his cover-up of the nursing home deaths in New York State,” Barclay told on the Fox News show “The Faulkner Focus” on Friday.
Barclay said the bipartisan impeachment commission would have “60 days to investigate and then give the report to the state legislature.”