Health

Cuomo Blames ‘Press, Cynics’ For COVID ‘Disinformation, Conspiracy Theories’

(Screenshot via Grabien)

Michael Ginsberg Congressional Correspondent
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Democratic New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo blamed his critics for spreading “disinformation” and “conspiracy theories” about his performance battling COVID-19 in a Feb. 15 news conference.

“We made a mistake in creating the void. When we didn’t provide information, it allowed press, people, cynics, politicians to fill the void. When you don’t correct disinformation, you allow it to continue,” Cuomo said.

“We should have done a better job of knocking down the disinformation. You’d never knock down all the conspiracy theories, the political conspiracy theories, because they generate ten a day,” he continued. (RELATED: Gov. Andrew Cuomo Threatens Lawsuit Against Biden Administration Over COVID-19 Relief Funds)

Cuomo spoke at a press conference in which he blamed the federal government and the nursing homes for New York’s COVID-19 death toll. New York has the second-most coronavirus deaths and the second-highest coronavirus death rate of all states, according to Statista.

Many of those deaths can be attributed to Cuomo’s March 25 order to require nursing homes to accept residents who were sick with COVID-19. A report produced by the consulting firm McKinsey & Company defending the order was marred by conflicts of interest for both McKinsey and Cuomo. A report commissioned by New York Attorney General Letitia James suggested that the state of New York deliberately undercounted nursing home deaths by as much as 50%.

The Cuomo administration hid the nursing home death numbers to avoid a federal investigation, one of his aides told state Democratic leaders. In response, Democratic State Sen. Jessica Ramos called for a full investigation.