Gop-led House Panel Blasts Andrew Cuomo's Covid Response

ALBANY, New York — Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo may have tried to “inappropriately” influence the testimony of a former aide before speaking to a House panel investigating his administration's Covid-19 policies, a Republican-backed report found.

Cuomo, a Democrat who is weighing a bid for New York City mayor, contacted the former adviser, Jim Malatras, days before he was due to speak with the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic.

“Now that the dust has settled and the truth is being revealed, I wanted to check in with you and see how you are doing,” Cuomo wrote in a text to Malatras. “I am sure you will do well, because quality and talent always wins in the end. All the best, Andrew.”

The former governor has insisted his text to Malatras, his first contact with him in three years, was a simple check in with a former staffer. But the GOP-led panel in a 557-page report released Monday determined Cuomo “acted in a manner consistent with an attempt” to influence Malatras’ testimony.

“Considering the timing of this text message — within 48 hours of the Select Subcommittee publicly announcing its request for Dr. Malatras’ testimony — and the fact that he had not spoken with former Governor Cuomo since 2021, the Select Subcommittee determined: …this text message raises concerns that Mr. Cuomo may have been trying to influence Dr. Malatras’ testimony and obstruct the Select Subcommittee’s investigation,” the report found.

Malatras’ testimony to the House panel was considered especially key: Lawmakers at the time were reviewing Cuomo’s pandemic nursing home policies and the decision to require that the facilities not turn away patients who were Covid positive. The panel was also investigating how the Cuomo administration compiled a report on nursing home deaths — a report which Malatras played a key role in drafting — as well as whether state officials undercounted fatalities.

A memo issued by the subcommittee in September previously outlined the text message to Malatras. Cuomo’s team on Monday blasted the panel’s findings as politically motivated.

“This attempt to miscast the governor's communications with a longtime former aide is more of the same from this MAGA clown committee who to date have a documented history of misrepresenting the truth and lying to the press — the fact is that the governor and Mr. Malatras did not speak until AFTER both testified out of respect for the sub committee's work, a communication that is perfectly allowable and appropriate,” Cuomo spokesperson Rich Azzopardi said.

He added the totality of the report is “weak gruel,” a waste of taxpayer dollars and an abuse of power. Azzopardi noted that prior investigations of Cuomo's Covid response did not result in charges, while a civil suit brought by family members of people who died in nursing homes was dismissed.

“The DOJ — three times — the Manhattan DA and others looked at the nursing home issue and found no wrongdoing, while the meritless civil lawsuit launched by the very same people who have been working arm and arm with this committee was tossed out of court,” he said. “Despite being ground zero of COVID, an objective review of the federal data shows that New York was ranked 39th in terms of pro rata nursing home deaths in 2020.”

In his testimony, Malatras told the subcommittee that the nursing home report was reviewed and edited by top aides and Cuomo, with input from officials at the state Department of Health. Cuomo had claimed he played no role in editing or writing the report. Later assessments found the report undercounted the number of residents who died.

The release of the House report comes at a politically sensitive time for Cuomo, as he considers running for New York City mayor while incumbent Eric Adams fights corruption charges.

House Republicans on the panel in October released a 107-page referral to the Department of Justice that alleged Cuomo made false statements to Congress and recommended criminal charges.

Cuomo has denied any wrongdoing, and such cases are rarely taken up by the DOJ.

Democrats on the subcommittee, meanwhile, also knocked the findings by the Republicans, though they did not defend Cuomo by name.

“Select Subcommittee Republicans' final report reflects two years wasted on political stunts instead of preventing and preparing for the next pandemic,” Democrats on the panel said in a statement. “Instead of coming together with Democrats to get ahead of future viruses or fortify America's public health infrastructure and workforce, Select Subcommittee Republicans prioritized extreme probes that vilified our nation's scientists and public health officials in an effort to whitewash former President Trump's disastrous COVID-19 response.”