The Department of Justice (DOJ) has opened up an investigation into former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) over his pandemic-era nursing homes testimony to Congress, multiple outlets reported Tuesday night.
The probe started around a month ago by the U.S. attorney’s office in Washington, D.C., that was then headed by Ed Martin, who was reassigned to two positions within the DOJ: pardon attorney and director of the Weaponization Working Group.
The investigation follows a letter from a House Republican panel that asked Attorney General Pam Bondi last year to prosecute Cuomo, a former New York governor, for allegedly lying to the panel that was probing his administration’s COVID-19 pandemic-era nursing home policies.
The Hill has reached out to the DOJ for comment. The New York Times first reported on the DOJ’s investigation.
House Republicans have asked for a federal probe into the former governor, contending that Cuomo lied in 2024 during a congressional hearing that he had no involvement in drafting or reviewing a state health department report about the way the Empire State handled pandemic nursing home policies.
DOJ’s criminal probe into Cuomo, the leading candidate for New York City mayor, comes as the department has ordered federal prosecutors to dismiss corruption charges against New York City Mayor Eric Adams three months ago, a move that prompted top officials in the office to resign.
“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,” Cuomo’s spokesperson Rich Azzopardi said in an emailed statement to The Hill.
Azzopardi also defended Cuomo’s testimony.
“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,” Azzopardi added.