Cuomo’s blame-shifting does not absolve him from responsibility for nursing-home deaths
Andrew Cuomo’s testimony to the House regarding the deaths of thousands of New Yorkers in nursing homes during the pandemic revealed his boundless arrogance.
During Tuesday’s hearing by the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic, Cuomo continued to evade responsibility for the deaths caused by his directive on March 25, 2020, which mandated New York care homes to admit COVID patients.
Instead, he shifted blame to former President Donald Trump, accusing him of deceiving the American people and allowing the virus to spread.
But Andrew Cuomo’s accusations of willful deception, lies, and denial are merely projections of his own behavior.
He also faulted the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for not raising concerns about his directive.
As governor, Cuomo was ultimately responsible for the decisions made by his administration, but he now portrays himself as a helpless bystander.
In Cuomo’s narrative, he portrays himself as the victim, but his actions during the pandemic speak louder than his words.
On June 7, 2020, Cuomo acknowledged the severity of the situation when he instructed an aide to email his inner circle about the “great debacle” of nursing home deaths.
Despite the undeniable evidence, Cuomo refuses to admit error and even went as far as personally editing a state report to downplay the death toll.
Testimonies and reports confirm that Cuomo’s directive led to approximately 9,000 excess COVID deaths in care homes.
Furthermore, Cuomo has failed to apologize to the families of the deceased, despite being prompted to do so multiple times during the congressional inquiry.
As he exited the chamber, a family member bluntly accused Cuomo of being a liar and in denial for causing the deaths of their parents and thousands of others.
If Cuomo hopes to make a political comeback, he must confront the truth and take responsibility for his actions, as the families of the victims will never forget or forgive his negligence.
