Politics
Skeptical House Panel Grills Cuomo on New York’s Covid Response
The Republican-led subcommittee sought to blame the former governor for the state’s early-pandemic guidance that may have left New Yorkers more vulnerable to dying in nursing homes.
During the early days of the coronavirus pandemic, Andrew M. Cuomo, the pugilistic former governor of New York, was initially hailed as a national model for his leadership of the state’s response.
His televised daily briefings brought acclaim from Americans craving reliable information and a sense of calm that many felt they were not receiving from the White House.
But at a hearing on Tuesday before the Republican-led House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic, Mr. Cuomo was placed firmly on the defensive.
It was confrontational theater, with Republican representatives including Elise Stefanik of New York and Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia hammering him on issues ranging from the state Health Department’s early-pandemic guidance on nursing homes to a former aide in his administration who was recently charged by federal prosecutors with taking payoffs in exchange for actions that benefited the Chinese government.
“You are the former governor of New York State and you will never hold office again,” Ms. Stefanik said at one point.
The hearing comes at a politically significant moment for Mr. Cuomo, a Democrat, as he mulls a potential run for mayor of New York City next year or possibly a challenge to his successor, Gov. Kathy Hochul, in 2026.
