House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer of Kentucky on Monday formally referred current New York City mayoral candidate and former Governor Andrew Cuomo to the Department of Justice for criminal prosecution.
Comer accused Cuomo of “knowingly and willfully making false statements to Congress” about his role in a state report that allegedly undercounted COVID-19 deaths in New York nursing homes. The referral urges Attorney General Pam Bondi to prosecute Cuomo for “lying to Congress,” following the Biden-era DOJ’s decision to disregard a similar referral submitted by House Republicans in October 2024. Cuomo testified before the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic in September and previously gave closed-door testimony in June regarding his administration’s widely criticized policies that allowed thousands of COVID-19 positive patients to be admitted to nursing homes across New York.
House Republicans have accused Cuomo of deliberately attempting to evade accountability by allegedly lying to Congress about his role in a state report that underreported nursing home deaths. In a press release Monday, Chairman James Comer claimed the former governor’s statements to Congress concerning his handling of the nursing home crisis and the subsequent cover-up were “demonstrably false,” according to the Daily Caller.
“Andrew Cuomo is a man with a history of corruption and deceit, now caught red-handed lying to Congress during the Select Subcommittee’s investigation into the COVID-19 nursing home tragedy in New York,” Comer said. “This wasn’t a slip-up — it was a calculated cover-up by a man seeking to shield himself from responsibility for the devastating loss of life in New York’s nursing homes. Let’s be clear: lying to Congress is a federal crime. Mr. Cuomo must be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. The House Oversight Committee is prepared to fully cooperate with the Justice Department’s investigation into Andrew Cuomo’s actions and ensure he’s held to account.”
Cuomo’s March 2020 directive, which barred nursing homes from turning away patients solely due to a COVID-19 diagnosis, resulted in the deaths of thousands of seniors, according to a 2021 report by New York State Attorney General Letitia James. The Daily Caller first reported in May 2020 that the New York State Department of Health had knowingly misclassified nursing home fatalities by altering its reporting system. James’ report later concluded that Cuomo’s administration may have undercounted COVID-related nursing home deaths by nearly 50%.
Cuomo resigned from office in August 2021 following multiple allegations and a report from Attorney General Letitia James accusing him of sexually harassing 11 women and retaliating against several who spoke out. Cuomo has denied all wrongdoing.