New York, NY – The Department of Justice (DOJ) under President Donald Trump has launched a criminal investigation into former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, a leading candidate in the 2025 New York City mayoral race, for allegedly lying to Congress about his role in underreporting COVID-19 nursing home deaths, The New York Times reported on May 20, 2025. The probe, initiated by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Washington, follows a referral from House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.), accusing Cuomo of making “criminally false statements” during a June 2024 testimony to the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic.
The investigation centers on a July 6, 2020, New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) report that downplayed nursing home deaths, claiming staff—not a March 25, 2020, directive mandating admission of COVID-positive patients—caused excess fatalities. Emails and documents, first reported by The New York Times, reveal Cuomo personally edited and drafted parts of this report, contradicting his testimony that he had no involvement and was unaware of external reviews. A 2021 report by New York Attorney General Letitia James found the Cuomo administration undercounted nursing home deaths by up to 50%, with over 15,000 long-term care residents dying by June 2021.
House Republicans, led by Comer and former Rep. Brad Wenstrup, allege Cuomo’s actions were a “calculated cover-up” to deflect blame for a policy that sent over 9,000 recovering COVID patients into nursing homes, potentially accelerating outbreaks. Comer, in an April 2025 referral to Attorney General Pam Bondi, demanded prosecution, citing “overwhelming evidence” of false statements. Posts on X, such as those from
@DavidYeshua4 and
@ewa_baczkowska, amplify these claims, labeling Cuomo’s actions a “crime” responsible for thousands of deaths.
Cuomo’s spokesperson, Rich Azzopardi, dismissed the probe as “lawfare and election interference,” noting the former governor was never informed of the investigation and testified truthfully based on his recollection of events four years prior. Azzopardi accused the GOP-led committee of political motivations, pointing to its timing as Cuomo leads Democratic primary polls against Mayor Eric Adams, whose own corruption charges were dropped by the Trump DOJ in February. Cuomo’s legal team, led by Rita Galvin, filed a counter-complaint, alleging the subcommittee abused its authority.
The probe comes amid scrutiny of the Trump DOJ’s handling of high-profile cases. The dismissal of Adams’s charges, after he pledged cooperation with Trump’s immigration policies, sparked resignations in the Manhattan U.S. Attorney’s Office and accusations of political favoritism. Critics, including Sen. Chris Murphy, argue the Cuomo investigation is a retaliatory move against Trump’s foes, especially as New York Attorney General Letitia James, who investigated Cuomo, faces her own DOJ probe.
Legal experts question the case’s strength, noting lying to Congress requires proof of willful deceit, and Cuomo’s claim of memory lapses may complicate prosecution. The investigation could disrupt his mayoral bid, with voters split on X: some, like
@ColorApril, see it as derailing his comeback, while others view it as partisan overreach. As the 2025 election nears, the probe raises questions about justice and political motives in Trump’s DOJ.
