“The governor's press conference yesterday was the epitome of corruption and demise in Albany. Following Attorney General Letitia James’ report in which the Cuomo Administration was caught failing to disclose over 50% of nursing home deaths since the beginning of the pandemic; and last week when the governor’s top aide, Melissa DeRosa, admitted the administration purposely hid information regarding nursing home deaths from lawmakers and the public, due to the fear of a Department of Justice investigation, the governor still failed to take any ownership or responsibility for his actions. When asked yesterday about the pattern of cover-ups in the ongoing nursing home scandal, the governor failed to muster up an apology. Instead, he credited a "void of information" that allowed "misinformation and conspiracy" to run wild. The governor is devoid of leadership if nothing else.

“The only apology to be had was from Melissa DeRosa, apologizing to Majority lawmakers for putting them in a political bind. Not the families whose loved ones are gone, or those still removed from their families since this pandemic began. Further, these deaths were avoidable, yet the self-proclaimed champion of COVID-19’s decision to allow recovering patients back into nursing homes was the match that lit the bonfire that is his handling of this pandemic. 

“My colleagues and I have been calling for legislative hearings to investigate deaths in nursing homes during the COVID-19 pandemic for months and whether attempts were made to disparage the numbers reported to the Legislature and public. The governor has put his own political image above human lives. Discussions about a special investigation, prosecution and impeachment must begin immediately. The governor has shown his true colors. He has lied to his people, the families of those who died and himself for long enough. I implore my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to demand accountability for everyone responsible in this scandal. These are not actions worthy of a book on leadership, nor a governor. At what point does politics end and human decency begin? Gov. Cuomo certainly does not know.”