Republicans Call for Impeachment Against New York Gov. Cuomo for COVID-19 Death Toll Cover-Up

New York Governor Cuomo Holds A Press Briefing In NYC
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 08: New York state Gov. Andrew Cuomo speaks at a news conference on September 08, 2020 in New York City. Cuomo, though easing restrictions on casinos and malls throughout the state, has declined to do so for indoor dining in restaurants in New York City despite pressure from business owners, citing struggles by the city to enforce the state's previous orders. Getty Images/Spencer Platt

Republican elected leaders want an investigation into New York Governor Andrew Cuomo. They are calling for Cuomo to be impeached and his emergency powers nullified.

Republican elected leaders want an investigation

New York GOP Chairman Nick Langworthy last week, in a press conference, called for impeachment proceedings against Cuomo to commence. The press conference focused on the GOP's response to a divulgement from one of Cuomo's top aides to withholding the tally of deaths in New York's nursing homes during the pandemic.

New York Post indicated the apology by Melissa DeRosa to Democratic lawmakers in a recorded meeting. The State GOP has long been speaking out against the executive order that led to nursing home patients being transferred back to their facilities from the hospital, reported WHCU.

New York Republican Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro called on Monday for impeachment proceedings and a criminal probing to be initiated against Cuomo over the alleged cover-up. According to Molinaro, "We've known all along that this is the most corrupted and least transparent administration in America. We now know it's also the deadliest," reported Fox News.

Cuomo reportedly undercounted the nursing homes' death toll by as much as 50 percent. Melissa DeRosa, his top aide, disclosed in a call last week that they concealed the real numbers.

State lawmakers in 1918 impeached and removed a NY governor from office for the first time. According to Jack O'Donnell, author of "Bitten by the Tiger," "It happened once under unusual circumstances which means impeachment is something that is very unlikely to happen," reported Spectrum News.

Even though GOP lawmakers merely hold one-third of the seats in the state Legislature, they are hoping to oust Cuomo over concealing information. During a video conference with Democrats, DeRosa divulged "basically, we froze" over the summer after the state Senate called for a full tally of nursing home deaths. The state was facing inspection from the Department of Justice.

That legislative appeal arrived in September 2020. On August 26, 2020, the United States Department of Justice requested data from New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Michigan governors about novel coronavirus responses in public nursing homes.

Republican lawmakers in Albany appear to be on a parallel path with Democrats in Washington. They are alluding that Cuomo is no longer fit to be governor. Unlike the Washington political drama, the next election in New York is over a year away.

Fourteen Democratic state senators have joined calls to revoke the sweeping emergency powers granted to Cuomo during the pandemic. According to state Sen. Jessica Ramos on Friday, the idea of making Cuomo the first governor to be impeached in over a century is being thrown around.

Cuomo was previously granted an Emmy award for what they called his "masterful" coronavirus press briefings. The media lauded such performances, underscoring his truthfulness and transparency. However, DeRosa privately apologized to Democratic legislators for repressing the number of fatalities in state nursing homes for fear that the real numbers would be used against them by federal prosecutors.

Real Time Analytics