“Killer Cuomo” Crashes and Burns After Bipartisan NY Legislator Group Demands Resignation for Geriatric Genocide

Cuomo keeps a low profile and avoids reporters at Oval Office meeting with Biden as Republicans and Democrats demand he resign for covering-up the true COVID death toll in New York nursing homes

  • Governor Andrew Cuomo was at the White House on Friday to meet Joe Biden and discuss COVID-19 relief
  • Cuomo refused to answer questions about his handling of the pandemic after a bombshell confession from his top aide on Thursday 
  • New York State Assembly is holding a conference to consider rescinding Cuomo’s emergency powers to manage the pandemic
  • The powers were granted to him in March 2020 by the state legislature and he has issued 94 executive orders including limiting gatherings in public and private spaces, mask mandates and closing businesses
  • Cuomo’s powers are set to expire on April 30, but they can be rescinded before that deadline if there is a majority in both houses 
  • The Legislature would need 76 members voting to rescind or 75 members and a tie-breaking casting vote by the Lieutenant Governor and 32 members voting to rescind in the Senate 
  • It comes after Melissa DeRosa admitted the administration had hidden nursing home COVID-related death numbers in a Thursday call obtained by New York Post 
  • State Democrats had asked for the exact figures for nursing home deaths from COVID since March 1 but DeRosa, secretary to Cuomo, said that at the same time the Trump administration was investigating  
  • ‘And basically, we froze’ and kept the information secret for five more months, she admitted to the lawmakers
  • Calls are growing for Cuomo to be prosecuted over the cover-up, from both Democrats and Republicans   

Andrew Cuomo, the governor of New York, appeared sheepish on Friday as he and other governors joined Joe Biden in the Oval Office to discuss COVID relief, amid mounting calls for Cuomo to be prosecuted.

Cuomo’s administration has been rocked by the confession on Thursday of his top aide, Melissa DeRosa, that they deliberately hid data on nursing home COVID deaths, in the midst of a Justice Department investigation into their handling of the pandemic.

Cuomo on Friday did not take questions about the growing scandal.

The New Yorker, who heads the National Governor’s Association, instead praised the president in a statement released after the Oval Office meeting, saying Biden and his team ‘made clear that they recognize and appreciate how critical this targeted relief is for our ability to recover from this pandemic.’

White House press secretary Jen Psaki would not say on Friday whether Biden has lost confidence in Cuomo given the growing criticism.

Andrew Cuomo, governor of New York, was in the Oval Office on Friday to discuss COVID relief

Andrew Cuomo, governor of New York, was in the Oval Office on Friday to discuss COVID relief

The only public event on Cuomo's schedule on Friday was a meeting with President Joe Biden and others at the White House on Friday. Pictured, left to right: Cuomo, Vice President Kamala Harris, Biden and Gov Michelle Lujan Grisham (D-NM)

A nursing home patient is seen receiving the COVID vaccine on January 6 in Brooklyn

A nursing home patient is seen receiving the COVID vaccine on January 6 in Brooklyn

‘The president hosted Gov. Cuomo and a bipartisan group of governors and mayors today to get their perspectives from the front lines – not to give anyone a stamp of approval or to seek their stamp of approval, and to discuss the urgency of passing the American Rescue Plan,’ Psaki said.

‘Gov. Cuomo is the governor of one of the largest states in the country – one of the places where the pandemic hit hardest, the earliest.

‘There are still many Americans continuing to struggle to get vaccinated and make ends meet, so it was important to have him as part of the meeting,’ she added.

The meeting came as the New York State Assembly Majority is considering rescinding emergency powers granted to Cuomo to manage the coronavirus pandemic after a top aide admitted their administration hid damning information about deaths among nursing home patients, according to a report from NY1.

In a remarkable confession made during a conference call with state Democrats, obtained by The New York Post, DeRosa, secretary to Cuomo, admitted that officials ‘froze’ in August when former President Donald Trump’s Department of Justice asked for the data, before rebuffing the request.

DeRosa told lawmakers: ‘We were in a position where we weren’t sure if what we were going to give to the Department of Justice, or what we give to you guys, what we start saying, was going to be used against us while we weren’t sure if there was going to be an investigation.’

The data remained secret for months until January, when a shocking report from New York Attorney General Letitia James’ office said the state had undercounted the number of nursing home deaths by as much as 50 percent.

It comes after Melissa de Rosa (left), a top aide to Governor Andrew Cuomo (right)  admitted the administration had hidden nursing home COVID-related death numbers in a Thursday call, obtained by New York Post

It comes after Melissa de Rosa (left), a top aide to Governor Andrew Cuomo (right)  admitted the administration had hidden nursing home COVID-related death numbers in a Thursday call, obtained by New York Post

New York State Assembly is holding a conference to consider rescinding Governor Andrew Cuomo's emergency powers to manage the coronavirus pandemic. Pictured: A tweet by Zack Fink, an NY1 reporter who first broke the news about the discussion to rescind powers

New York State Assembly is holding a conference to consider rescinding Governor Andrew Cuomo’s emergency powers to manage the coronavirus pandemic. Pictured: A tweet by Zack Fink, an NY1 reporter who first broke the news about the discussion to rescind powers

It forced New York State’s Department of Health to reveal that the true death toll among nursing home residents was 12,743, rather than the previously acknowledged 8,711.

New York had previously only counted residents who died in nursing homes, and left out 4,000 residents who were taken to hospital and died there.

A conference is expected to be held discussing rescinding Cuomo’s emergency powers – which granted him the authority to suspend existing statutes or effectively create new laws – a new report states.

WHAT ARE CUOMO’S EMERGENCY POWERS AND HOW CAN THEY BE RESCINDED?

In March 2020, the New York State Legislature granted Cuomo emergency powers to address the coronavirus pandemic.

This effectively allows the governor to change any local or state law with the stroke of a pen.

He has issued 94 such executive orders including including limiting gatherings in public and private spaces closing or reopening businesses, mask mandates and expanding hospital capacity.

Cuomo has also issued orders indirectly related such as making a second wedding license available for free if the first one expired.

The executive powers are set to expire on April 30, but the New York State Legislature has the power to revoke these powers before the deadline with a simple majority in both houses.

There are 150 members in the Assembly so a simple majority would entail 76 members voting to rescind or 75 members and a tie-breaking casting vote by the Lieutenant Governor.

In the Senate, there are 63 members so they would need 32 Senators for a simple majority.

If the powers were to be rescinded it would mean Cuomo would no longer have the power to suspend existing statutes or effectively create new laws, all of which would now be done by the Legislature.

Allegedly a growing number of Democrats are joining Republicans’ calls for a revocation, including New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio.

On Friday, 14 Democratic New York State Senators joined Republicans in calling for Cuomo’s pandemic emergency powers to be rescinded.

‘Without exception, the New York State Constitution calls for the Legislature to govern as a co-equal branch of government,’ they wrote.

‘While COVID-19 has tested the limits of our people and the state – and early during the pandemic, required the government to restructure decision making to render rapid, necessary public health judgement – it is clear that the expanded emergency powers granted to the Governor are no longer appropriate.

‘While the executive’s authority to issue directives is set to expire April 30, we urge the Senate to advance and adopt a repeal as expeditiously as possible.’

Neither Cuomo’s office nor the Senate Majority Leader’s office nor the New York State Assembly office have returned DailyMail.com’s request for comment.

Cuomo has not yet issued a statement acknowledging DeRosa’s bombshell admission, but was seen at a morning meeting with Biden and other leaders at the White House to discuss a coronavirus relief package.

In March 2020, the state legislature granted Cuomo emergency powers to address the coronavirus pandemic, effectively allowing the governor to change any local or state law with the stroke of a pen.

As of last week, Cuomo has issued at least 94 executive orders, according to WGRZ.

Examples include limiting gatherings in public and private spaces, closing or reopening businesses, mask mandates and expanding hospital capacity.

There were also executives orders indirectly related to the pandemic, such as making people at a bar also order food, postponing church elections, making a second wedding license available for free if the first one expired, and waiving performance reviews for public school teachers.

The executive powers are set to expire on April 30, but the New York State Legislature has the power to revoke these powers before the deadline.

If so, it means Cuomo would no longer have the power to suspend existing statutes or effectively create new laws, all of which would now be done by the Legislature.

A simple majority is needed in both houses, the Assembly and the Senate, for the powers to be rescinded.

There are 150 members in the Assembly so a simple majority would entail 76 members voting to rescind or 75 members and a tie-breaking casting vote by the Lieutenant Governor.

In the Senate, there are 63 members so there would need to be 32 Senators voting to rescind a simple majority.

On Friday, Majority Leader Sen Andrea Stewart-Cousins, a Democrat, released a statement slamming Cuomo and stated that the ‘next steps’ would be discussed at a conference.

‘Crucial information should never be withheld from entities that are empowered to pursue oversight,’ Stewart-Cousins wrote.

‘This was always about getting the truth and allowing information to guide our response. That is why we had multiple hearings and another hearing scheduled for this month. And why we requested this information in the first place.

‘Politics should not be part of this tragic pandemic and our response to it must be led by policy, not politics. As always, we will be discussing next steps at a conference.’

Continue reading at: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9255771/Cuomo-looks-sheepish-Oval-Republicans-Democrats-join-calls-resign.html

This entry was posted in Uncategorized. Bookmark the permalink.