Justice Dept. investigating former New York Gov. Cuomo over pandemic testimony: AP

WASHINGTON -- The Justice Department has opened a transgression probe into former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo aft legislature Republicans recommended that helium beryllium charged with lying implicit his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, a idiosyncratic acquainted with the substance said Tuesday.

The probe by the U.S. attorney’s bureau successful Washington follows a referral from Rep. James Comer, Republican president of the House Committee connected Oversight and Government Reform, implicit statements Cuomo made to lawmakers investigating his absorption of the pandemic erstwhile the microorganism was spreading done nursing homes, the idiosyncratic said. They spoke connected the information of anonymity due to the fact that they were not authorized to publically sermon an ongoing investigation.

The probe plunges the Justice Department yet again into New York authorities arsenic Cuomo runs for New York City mayor. It comes conscionable months aft national prosecutors abandoned a corruption lawsuit against New York Mayor Eric Adams — Cuomo’s hostile successful the mayoral contention — citing a tendency to escaped Adams up to cooperate with the Trump administration’s migration crackdown.

A spokesperson for Cuomo said Tuesday that the erstwhile politician was ne'er informed of immoderate specified investigation.

“So wherefore would idiosyncratic leak it now? The reply is obvious: This is lawfare and predetermination interference plain and elemental — thing President Trump and his apical Department of Justice officials accidental they are against,” Cuomo spokesperson Rich Azzopardi said successful an email.

Azzopardi added, “Governor Cuomo testified truthfully to the champion of his recollection astir events from 4 years earlier, and helium offered to code immoderate follow-up questions from the Subcommittee — but from the opening this was each transparently political.”

The probe was archetypal reported Tuesday by The New York Times. The Justice Department declined Tuesday to comment. Spokespeople for the U.S. attorney’s bureau successful Washington didn’t instantly respond to messages seeking comment.

The enquiry besides subjects the section to claims that it is pursuing retribution against governmental adversaries. The caller person of the U.S. attorney’s bureau successful Washington, Jeanine Pirro, ran unsuccessfully against Cuomo for New York lawyer wide successful 2006 and has been a harsh professional successful the years since, publically accusing him of a coverup of nursing location deaths. The Justice Department separately has launched a owe fraud probe into New York Attorney General Letitia James, who sued Trump for civilian fraud.

The probe into Cuomo revisits a years-old, politically divisive question implicit the then-governor’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic successful nursing homes. Republicans person zeroed successful connected a arguable directive his medication issued successful March 2020 that initially barred nursing homes from refusing to judge patients conscionable due to the fact that they had had COVID-19. More than 9,000 recovering coronavirus patients were released from hospitals into nursing homes nether the directive, which was rescinded amid speculation that it had accelerated outbreaks.

Comer referred Cuomo to the Justice Department for imaginable transgression prosecution past month, alleging that helium made mendacious statements to lawmakers during a proceeding past twelvemonth focused connected his decision-making.

Cuomo adamantly defended himself during the hearing, blaming the earlier Trump medication for failing to supply capable investigating and idiosyncratic protective instrumentality successful the aboriginal days of the pandemic. “These are each diversions to blasted New York and different states for the culpability of the national response, which was malpractice,” Cuomo said.

But Comer asserted that Cuomo had lied during the hearing. He cited what helium said was grounds of Cuomo’s nonstop engagement successful a authorities study that the congressman said “low-balled” nursing location fatalities.