DOJ investigating claims Cuomo lied about handling of Covid-19
The Brief
The Justice Department is investigating New York City mayoral candidate Andrew Cuomo.
The investigation is related to Cuomo's allegedly false testimony to Congress regarding the Covid-19 pandemic.
The New York City mayoral primary election will be held on June 24, 2025.
NEW YORK - Former New York Governor and mayoral candidate Andrew Cuomo is under fire for his handling of Covid-19 once again.
The investigation was discovered a day after Cuomo released a political ad focusing on his experience navigating New York through the pandemic; the mayoral primary election is only five weeks away.
What we know
The New York Times is reporting that the Justice Department launched the criminal investigation about a month ago. The probe is reviewing allegedly false statements Cuomo made to Congress about his handling of the Covid-19 pandemic made in June 2024.
A transcription of the full interview, conducted by the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic, can be found here.
An executive order made by Cuomo on March 25, 2020 that restricted nursing homes from refusing to admit or readmit residents "solely based on confirmed or suspect[ed] diagnosis of Covid-19."
Click to open this PDF in a new window.
The order directed nursing homes to admit patients carrying Covid-19.
The order was reversed not even two months later. The New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) released a report alleging nursing home staff, not the Executive Order, was the cause for excess Covid-19 deaths in nursing homes.
In January 2021, New York State Attorney General Letitia James released an investigative report claiming that Cuomo and his team undercounted the total number of nursing home deaths by as much as 50 percent.
The Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic began its investigation into New York's response to the pandemic, specifically regarding Cuomo's executive order, in 2023. The committee announced a subpoena to compel Cuomo to appear for a deposition on May 24, 2024.
Cuomo appeared for his interview on June 11, 2024.
The seven-hour testimony centered on the executive order that forced New York nursing homes and long-term care facilities to admit contagious Covid-19 patients. He testified that he did not draft, review or discuss the report with the NYSDOH, but a former assistant to Cuomo testified he was involved.
Evidence that was later uncovered by the Select Subcommittee revealed that Cuomo "reviewed, edited and even drafted portions of a purportedly independent and peer-reviewed New York State Department of Health Report."
Representative James Comer, a Kentucky Republican who chairs the House Oversight Committee, recommended Cuomo be charged with making false statements to Congress.
The full criminal referral is below:
Click to open this PDF in a new window.
The request was denied by former Attorney General Merrick Garland.
A Republican-led congressional committee sent a letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi in April 2025 to renew the referral.
Click to open this PDF in a new window.
Cuomo's spokesperson Rich Azzopardi released a statement saying that Cuomo was unaware of any investigation.
"We have never been informed of any such matter, so why would someone leak it now? The answer is obvious: This is lawfare and election interference plain and simple — something President Trump and his top Department of Justice officials say they are against," Azzopardi said.
Newly appointed interim U.S. attorney for Washington, DC Jeanine Pirro will be handling the matter.
"Let's be clear: lying to Congress is a federal crime. Mr. Cuomo must be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law." House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform Chairman James Comer
News of the investigation broke a day after Cuomo released a political ad for his mayoral campaign, advertising "his experience navigating New York through the Covid-19 pandemic."
New York City Mayor Eric Adams responded to news of the investigation, saying, "Investigations must take their course… I'm going to allow the investigation to take its course."
Assembly member and mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani also posted a statement on the situation.
House Republican Leadership Chairwoman Elise Stefanik also released a statement announcing her support of the investigation.
Cuomo's campaign has already released a new political ad about the investigation.
The New York City mayoral primary election will be held on June 24, 2025.
The Source
This article includes reporting from several press releases and statements from the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability, statements made by political officials and separate reporting from The New York Times, who broke the story of the Justice Department's investigation.
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