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For months, Congressman Ron Kim was one of the few Democratic lawmakers willing to criticize Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo for his handling of the state’s retirement homes during the pandemic, pushing for inquiries into the question.
So when a senior aide to Mr. Cuomo recently admitted that his administration had withheld nursing home data from state lawmakers, Mr. Kim, whose Queens district has been hit hard by the coronavirus, said said it appeared the governor was “ trying to avoid any incriminating element. evidence.”
Hours after Mr Kim made the comment to the New York Post last Thursday, he said he received a furious call late at night from the governor. Mr. Cuomo began with a question: “Are you an honorable man?” – then screamed for 10 minutes, Mr Kim recalled, threatening to publicly tarnish the MP and urging him to issue a new statement clarifying his words.
Mr. Cuomo followed through on his threat Wednesday afternoon.
In a remarkable reply, the governor used his press briefing to launch allegations of impropriety in the assembly, saying he and his administration had a “long and hostile relationship” with Mr Kim, who was now in his midst. fifth term.
In particular, Mr. Cuomo was angry and combative over a letter published by the New York Post and signed by several members of the assembly, including Mr. Kim. The letter, citing the governor’s delays in releasing a full tally of nursing home residents’ deaths, including those after a resident was transferred to a hospital, accused Mr Cuomo of attempting to circumventing a federal investigation and “intentional obstruction of justice.” “
In lengthy remarks, Mr Cuomo also accused the Assembly member of a “continuing racket” soliciting donations from nail salon owners, who were upset by a 2015 nail salon reform law that he helped develop.
“I think it was unethical, even illegal,” Cuomo said, suggesting that Mr. Kim was indulging in “paying to gamble”.
The scathing back and forth comes as the Cuomo administration continues to grapple with the fallout from a spate of revelations about its data withholding, covering the full extent of the number of nursing home residents who have died from the virus.
Over the past month, the Cuomo administration has nearly doubled the official tally of deaths of nursing home residents from around 8,500 to more than 15,000 – in the face of a mind-boggling report from State Attorney General Letitia James , and a court order.
Mr Cuomo has firmly denied any wrongdoing, despite a nearly six-month delay between lawmakers ‘formal request in August and the release of data following Ms James’ report.
Many lawmakers have been angered by the governor’s lack of frankness in nursing homes and other matters. The delay in releasing the data to lawmakers in particular has strained his relationship with fellow Democrats, who run both houses of the Legislature, and encouraged attacks from Republicans.
The latest catalyst involves a private meeting between Melissa DeRosa, the governor’s secretary, and Democratic lawmakers, including Mr. Kim.
Ms DeRosa told lawmakers last Wednesday that the Cuomo administration had failed to comply with lawmakers’ months-long request for retirement home deaths because the Department of Justice made a similar request. She said the administration was concerned that former President Donald J. Trump would politicize the case and open a formal investigation into Mr. Cuomo’s management of the retirement homes.
Ms DeRosa said the Trump administration turned nursing homes “into giant political football” and, after receiving the Justice Department’s request, “basically we froze.”
The next day, after the Post’s article was published, Mr. Kim was home with his wife and about to wash his children when he received the governor’s call.
Mr. Cuomo, he said, was furious with him over Mr. Kim’s comments to the Post, which quoted him as saying, among other things, that what he took away from the call was that the Cuomo administration “had to first ensure that the state was protected from federal investigation.”
“He said I hadn’t seen his anger and his anger, that he would destroy me and come out tomorrow and start to say how much of a person I am and that I would be done and how he was. was bitten the tongue. me for months, ”Kim said. “It was all screaming. It was not a pleasant tone.
Mr Kim said he felt bad for Ms DeRosa’s position and even tried to get The Post to withdraw its quotes before he got the governor’s call. Mr Kim said Mr Cuomo asked him to issue a new statement saying he had indeed misheard Ms DeRosa. He said the governor wanted Mr Kim to say Ms DeRosa told lawmakers that the reason they did not disclose retirement home data to them was because the administration was busy responding to the request of the Ministry of Justice.
But Mr Kim told The Times he was unwilling to release a new statement that contradicted what he heard on the call with Ms DeRosa.
“Basically I saw a crime and he’s asking me to say I didn’t see this crime,” Kim said. “I heard what I heard and I can’t lie.
A spokesperson for the governor, when asked about Mr. Cuomo’s call with Mr. Kim, initially suggested that the governor’s remarks on Wednesday had sufficiently addressed the issue.
But after the article was published, spokesperson Richard Azzopardi said Mr. Cuomo only asked Mr. Kim to clarify his remarks because the congregation told him they were taken out of context in the article in the Post.
Cuomo officials added that the governor never said he would “destroy” Mr. Kim, and called the conversation between the two men “calm,” denying the governor shouted.
“Your story centers on a false allegation in an ongoing hostile relationship of several years with multiple allegations made by Mr. Kim,” Mr. Azzopardi said. “Mr. Kim has been a longtime hostile adversary of the governor.
Mr Kim said the governor called him four more times on Saturday, but Mr Kim did not pick up because he was stressed by the situation and felt uncomfortable. He has since retained a lawyer and told the governor’s office that any future communication should involve his lawyer.
“The governor can attack me personally whatever he wants in an effort to distract us from his incompetent management,” Kim said in a statement. “But these facts don’t go away because they are the facts and are unacceptable.”
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