BREAKING: DOJ investigates Andrew Cuomo over testimony on Covid nursing home deaths in New York: report

The Department of Justice has opened up a criminal investigation into former New York Govenor Andrew Cuomo over after he allegedly lied to Congress about the deaths that took place in New York nursing homes during the Covid-19 pandemic.

According to the New York Times, the probe has been opened into Cuomo, who is also a frontrunner in the New York City mayor's race. A spokesman for Cuomo, Rich Azzopardi, said of the investigation, “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.”

The investigation into Cuomo comes just months after the DOJ dismissed the case of incumbent New York City Mayor Eric Adams, who would be facing off against Cuomo in the mayor's race. 

Cuomo was criminally referred the DOJ last month over his testimony before Congress on the Covid-19 deaths, where House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-KY) wrote to Attorney General Pam Bondi that the "Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic is examining the United States’ response to the COVID-19 pandemic," and that as part of the investigation, the committee "conducted a transcribed interview with the former Governor of the State of New York, Andrew M. Cuomo, who was accompanied by counsel."

"During the transcribed interview, the Select Subcommittee believes that Mr. Cuomo made false statements about his involvement in and knowledge of the drafting of the July 6 Report," the letter added. 

There have been previous reports that have indicated that Cuomo as well as some of his top staffers attempted to cover-up the number of deaths that occurred in New York nursing homes. During a news conference, Cuomo had previously claimed that he was following the guidance of the CDC when Trump was in office when around 6,000 nursing home patients died from the virus, placing blame on the Trump administration. However, that statement was found to be mostly false by Politifact. The policies that New York implemented were not in line with the CDC guidelines at the time.