New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat, gave his family members “special access” to COVID-19 testing during the early days of the pandemic, The Washington Post reports.
What happened with New York Gov. Cuomo and his family?
The Washington Post reports that Cuomo’s administration set up COVID-19 testing for family members and “other well-connected figures.”
- According to The Washington Post, a state lab processed the test results of Cuomo’s family members even as other New Yorkers struggled to get access to COVID-19 tests.
- CNN anchor Chris Cuomo was among the family members who received one of the tests.
- “The move to make testing of people closely tied to Mr. Cuomo a priority was carried out by high-ranking state health officials,” according to The New York Times.
Did New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo break the law?
The New York Constitution does not allow state officials to use their positions for special privileges for themselves or their families, according to Axios.
Did NY Gov. Andrew Cuomo respond?
Rich Azzopardi, a Cuomo spokesman, pushed back against the claims in a statement to The Washington Post.
- “We should avoid insincere efforts to rewrite the past. In the early days of this pandemic, when there was a heavy emphasis on contact tracing, we were absolutely going above and beyond to get people testing — including in some instances going to people’s homes — and door to door in places like New Rochelle — to take samples from those believed to have been exposed to COVID in order to identify cases and prevent additional ones.”
Cuomo scandals, explained:
This news comes as Cuomo faces multiple sexual harassment allegations and questions of how his administration handled the beginning of the pandemic — specifically the deaths in nursing homes.