Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is now at the center of a federal criminal investigation for allegedly lying to Congress about his pandemic-era decisions—a dramatic twist in an already volatile political season, a source close to the probe confirmed.
The U.S. attorney’s office in Washington quietly launched the inquiry roughly a month ago, just as top Department of Justice officials moved to drop corruption charges against Cuomo’s longtime political rival, New York City Mayor Eric Adams.
While the DOJ has declined to comment publicly, the timing of the developments has stirred speculation, with critics questioning whether political gamesmanship is at play ahead of the 2025 elections.
A Tale of Two Cases: Adams Walks as Cuomo Faces the Heat
With the Trump administration’s DOJ now withdrawing from prosecuting Adams—who is running for re-election as an independent—attention has swiftly shifted to Cuomo, the current Democratic frontrunner in the race to unseat him as mayor.
This stark reversal has only fueled allegations of selective enforcement.
“We have never been informed of any such matter, so why would someone leak it now? The answer is obvious:
This is lawfare and election interference plain and simple, something President Trump and his top Department of Justice officials say they are against,” said Rich Azzopardi, Cuomo’s spokesperson.
“Governor Cuomo testified truthfully to the best of his recollection about events from four years earlier, and he offered to address any follow-up questions from the Subcommittee, but from the beginning this was all transparently political.”
Nursing Homes at the Center of the Storm
At the heart of the controversy is Cuomo’s handling of COVID-19 patients in nursing homes during the early days of the pandemic, specifically a March 2020 directive that prohibited care facilities from turning away recovering COVID patients discharged from hospitals.
Over 9,000 individuals were reportedly moved from hospitals into nursing homes under that order, which was later rescinded. The fallout was catastrophic, with critics accusing Cuomo of accelerating outbreaks among vulnerable elderly populations.
Cuomo has long maintained that his administration followed federal guidelines, including advice from the CDC and CMS. Still, the political and legal aftershocks have continued to ripple.
GOP Lawmakers Demand Prosecution
Last year, Republican lawmakers grilled Cuomo during a series of tense hearings before the House Oversight Committee. Following his testimony, Committee Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) formally referred the former governor for criminal prosecution, alleging that he had knowingly misled Congress.
Former Rep. Brad Wenstrup, who chaired the House’s coronavirus subcommittee, added fuel to the fire by asserting that Cuomo made “multiple criminally false statements” during his testimony.
“This wasn’t a slip-up – it was a calculated cover-up by a man seeking to shield himself from responsibility for the devastating loss of life in New York’s nursing homes,” Comer said in a blistering statement Monday.
“Let’s be clear: lying to Congress is a federal crime. Mr. Cuomo must be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
The Paper Trail: Undercounting Deaths
While Cuomo has repeatedly defended his actions, a March 2022 report by New York’s state comptroller painted a damning picture. According to the audit, Cuomo’s Health Department understated nursing home fatalities by as much as 50% at times during the pandemic, obscuring the true human toll.
Further complicating Cuomo’s defense, eight plaintiffs sued him last year, claiming that their family members died as a result of the directive—and that the administration deliberately concealed death figures to dodge accountability.
Though a second case tied to those deaths was dismissed, the accusations of a state-level cover-up have stuck.
Political High Stakes as Mayoral Primary Nears
Cuomo, once a dominant force in Democratic politics, is now attempting a political comeback by challenging Adams for control of New York City. The federal probe could jeopardize that effort.
“Andrew Cuomo is a man with a history of corruption and deceit, now caught red-handed lying to Congress during the Select Subcommittee’s investigation into the COVID-19 nursing home tragedy in New York,” Comer said.
In a letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi earlier this month, Comer noted that the Biden administration ignored the original referral. Under Trump’s Justice Department, that same referral appears to have new life.
The House Oversight Committee, Comer said, “is prepared to fully cooperate with the Justice Department’s investigation into Andrew Cuomo’s actions and ensure he’s held to account.”
