Cuomo lashes out at Queens lawmaker critical of nursing home COVID policies
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Gov. Andrew Cuomo accused Assemblymember Ron Kim (pictured) of engaging in a “pay to play” scheme involving Queens nail salons. AP Photo/Karen Matthews
By David Brand
Gov. Andrew Cuomo used a chunk of his Wednesday press briefing to lash out at a Queens lawmaker who has sharply criticized his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic in nursing homes statewide.
In an unexpected diatribe, Cuomo accused Assemblymember Ron Kim of engaging in an “unethical if not illegal” pay-to-play scheme involving Queens nail salons and campaign contributions. The allegations date back to 2015, when Kim reversed his position on a new law intended to protect nail salon workers while receiving tens of thousands of dollars from salon owners.
The public attack followed a private pledge to “destroy” the five-term state lawmaker from Flushing in a phone call first reported by the New York Times.
Kim said Cuomo called him after he criticized the administration’s suppression of COVID nursing home death data in a New York Post article Feb. 11. An investigation by New York Attorney General Letitia James found that the state had significantly underreported the number of people who died of COVID-19 inside nursing homes.
Earlier this month, an aide to the governor, Melissa DeRosa, told Democratic lawmakers that the state did not release the actual death toll in order to avoid investigations by the Department of Justice.
Kim, a consistent critic of Cuomo’s nursing home policies, blasted that justification to the Post. Kim also accused the Cuomo administration of “obstruction of justice” in a letter reported by the Post Tuesday.
The comments reportedly fueled Cuomo’s outrage and prompted him to call Kim.
Kim defended his statements and his account of the phone call with Cuomo in a statement Wednesday.
“The governor can personally attack me all he wants in an effort to distract us from his incompetent management,” Kim said. “But these facts are not going away because they are the facts and are unacceptable.”
But a top aide to Cuomo said Kim lied about the phone conversation.
“At no time did anyone threaten to 'destroy' anyone with their 'wrath' nor engage in a 'coverup,” said Cuomo’s Senior Adviser Rich Azzopardi. “That's beyond the pale and is unfortunately part of a years-long pattern of lies by Mr. Kim against this administration.”
