Fox News’ Janice Dean calls for Cuomo to RESIGN over nursing home deaths cover-up and be prosecuted as she seeks justice for her in-laws who died of COVID-19 in facilities
Daily Mail
February 12, 2021
Fox News senior meteorologist Janice Dean is calling for New York Governor Andrew Cuomo to resign and to be prosecuted after a top aide admitted the administration covered up data about coronavirus-related nursing home deaths
In a conference call with state Democrats, obtained by The New York Post, Melissa DeRosa, secretary to Cuomo, confessed that officials 'froze' in August when the state legislature asked for the data, before rebuffing the request.
Among those deaths are Dean's own father- and mother-in-law, who died from COVID-19 in March and April, respectively.
Dean told DailyMail.com that she believes Cuomo should resign but, first and foremost, he needs to face consequences for his actions.
'There has to be some accountability in the form of an investigation,' she said.
'One that is bipartisan, one that involves subpoenas, one that involves getting the governor, his health director... under oath to tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth.
'If it is proven that this governor has been corrupt and there is criminality to his actions, he should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.'
In the call, DeRosa told lawmakers that the governor's administration didn't release the full details of deaths in nursing homes because they were not sure how it might be used against - politically - by the Trump administration.
'We were in a position where we weren't sure if what we were going to give to the Department of Justice, or what we give to you guys, what we start saying, was going to be used against us while we weren't sure if there was going to be an investigation,' she said.
In January, a shocking report from New York Attorney General Letitia James' office said the state had undercounted the number of nursing home deaths by as much as 50 percent.
This forced New York State's Department of Health to reveal the true death toll among nursing home residents was 12,743, rather than the previously acknowledged figure of 8,711.
Previously, New York had only counted residents who died in nursing homes, and neglected to count 4,000 residents who were taken to hospital and died there.
ON March 25, Cuomo ordered nursing homes to readmit patients who were positive for COVID-19 patients due to concerns about hospital capacity .
He later reversed the ruling, on May 10, barring nursing homes from accepting COVID-19 patients without a negative test first.
On Thursday, the AP revealed that 9,056 recovering patients were sent to hundreds of nursing homes under Cuomo's directive - more than 40 percent higher than what the state health department previously released.
Dean said she believes that Cuomo should resign, but she doesn't want him to avoid facing any consequences by exiting his post quietly.
'I think he should resign. However, I will say I don't want him to get off easy,' she said.
'I think that would be the easy thing is to have all of a sudden these people resign, like the Melissa de Rosas and his health commissioner like they resign and they go off into the darkness and we never hear from them again.
'I would prefer that they stay in their roles and we get them in a court of law as soon as possible.
For Dean, the matter is a personal issue because she lost both her father-in-law and mother-in-law, Michael and Dolores Newman, to the virus.
The Newmans were married for 59 years and lived in Brooklyn for the majority of their lives.Two weeks later, her mother-in-law caught coronavirus at an assisted living facility and died at a hospital.
'The reason I am vocal is because I’m trying to seek some kind of justice for my husbands' parents and the thousands of other families out there,' she said.
Dean has said that, for months, she had been hoping for an apology from the governor, or a statement expressing remorse for the decision.
She referenced a statement Cuomo made last montt in which he said' “But who cares? 33 [percent]. 28 [percent]. Died in a hospital. Died in a nursing home. They died.'
Dean retorted: 'My response is we care because they're our are family members an we are not going to give up on this.'
The New York State Assembly Majority is now considering rescinding emergency powers granted to Cuomo to manage the coronavirus pandemic, according to a report from NY1.
Among the 94 executive actions he's issued in 10 months include limiting gatherings in public and private spaces, closing or reopening businesses, mask mandates and expanding hospital capacity.
Dean said she hopes Cuomo's powers do get rescinded, but wonders if it is too little too late.
'He already made these deadly decisions with nursing home,' she said.
'While I think it is a good step, i don't quite know what it's going to do at this point. But listen, any time some Democratic leaders can get together to try to put this governor's power in check is a good day.'
1 comment:
It is to be hoped for and is not completely impossible, merely unlikely.
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