The House of Representatives is preparing to investigate “possible lies and inconsistencies” by a one-time top aide to former Governor Cuomo over his involvement in the state’s deadly directive to nursing homes to admit residents who test positive for the coronavirus.
The March 2020 order has the potential to cause 1,000 additional deaths in nursing homes, according to an analysis by The Empire Center.
During a closed-door transcribed hearing this week in Washington DC, former Cuomo Health Commissioner Howard Zucker told members of the bipartisan House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic that then-Cuomo Secretary Melissa DeRosa signed off on Cuomo’s COVID-19 policy.
“During his transcribed interview yesterday, former New York State Department of Health Commissioner Howard Zucker testified that former Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s top aide, Melissa DeRosa, played a ‘critical’ role in drafting and implementing the order that the state must accept,” the spokesperson said. committee told The Post.
“These allegations directly contradict Ms. DeRosa’s recent letter to the Select Subcommittee in which she claimed she did not have any responsive documents or subject matter expertise to contribute to the Select Subcommittee’s investigation,” the spokesperson added. “The Select Subcommittee looks forward to questioning Ms. DeRosa about any possible lies and inconsistencies during the interviews she transcribed.”
Former Governor Cuomo’s top aide, Melissa DeRosa, is facing questions about her role in the state’s failed COVID-19 response. EPA Dr. Howard Zucker told members of the bipartisan House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic that Cuomo’s then-Secretary Melissa DeRosa signed off on Cuomo’s COVID-19 policy. Stephen Yang
An official date for DeRosa’s congressional grilling has not been finalized.
Zucker also told committee members that he stands behind the science of the order that must be accepted, and blamed nursing homes for misunderstanding state guidelines, according to information provided by the committee.
Zucker said the order was based on federal guidance at the time.
The doctor, who now works as a senior official for the Centers for Disease Control, did not respond to several requests for comment from The Post.
A committee spokesman told The Post that DeRosa played “a critical role in drafting and implementing the state’s must-adopt order.” AP
“Nursing homes should accept any individuals they would normally admit to their facilities, including individuals from hospitals with cases of COVID-19,” said a March 14, 2020 memo from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, which added the facilities should “dedicate the unit /wing exclusively for any residents coming to or returning from the hospital.”
Critics have long blamed Cuomo, DeRosa, and Zucker for mismanagement during the pandemic’s darkest days.
The state inadvertently understated the actual number of pandemic deaths in nursing homes to keep information away from federal prosecutors — something DeRosa personally apologized to state lawmakers for in February 2021.
The mandatory order may have led to thousands of excess deaths according to watchdog groups. AP
“The fact that Melissa DeRosa lied about her involvement in carrying out the March 25 order that I believe helped kill thousands of loved ones is not surprising to us. His hands are as dirty as his former boss,” said Janice Dean, a Fox News meteorologist who became an advocate on the issue after both her in-laws died of COVID-19 in a New York nursing home.
Team DeRosa denied the allegations.
“Dr. Zucker did not say Melissa played a significant role in the March 25 nursing home admissions policy guidance. As we previously stated, Melissa played no role in the formulation or implementation of the March 25 guidance. What we understand Dr. Zucker said that Melissa, as secretary to the governor, played an important role in the COVID response, which is true,” said her attorney, Gregory Morvillo.
Categories: Trending
Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
