Update: Assembly Kim has responded to Gov. Cuomo, recalling how poorly the Cuomo administration has handled the pandemic and put nursing home residents at risk.
Facts matter. pic.twitter.com/HNqs6bXpAr
— Ron T. Kim (@rontkim) February 17, 2021
ORIGINAL POST
New York Democrat Assemblyman Ron Kim lost an uncle in a nursing home last year. He, like many grieving New Yorkers, believes that Gov. Andrew Cuomo's March 25 mandate had something to do with the statewide tragedy. Only recently did the Cuomo administration release more accurate numbers and we learned that 15,000 people died from COVID in assisted living facilities. In a bombshell New York Post report, Cuomo aide Melissa DeRosa admitted to Democratic lawmakers that the administration had cloaked the real number for fear that the Department of Justice would come after them.
Assemblyman Kim has been pretty vocal in criticizing Cuomo. He even joined Fox News meteorologist Janice Dean in demanding an independent investigation into the tragedy and has demanded apologies from the governor. He reportedly reiterated that Cuomo should apologize in a private meeting with DeRosa.
Well, Kim and Cuomo had a phone call last week, and it went as poorly as you could imagine, as Kim has just revealed to the New York Times.
“He goes off about how I hadn’t seen his wrath and anger, that he would destroy me and he would go out tomorrow and start telling how bad of a person I am and I would be finished and how he had bit his tongue about me for months,” Kim said of Gov. Cuomo. “This was all yelling. It wasn’t a pleasant tone.”
It gets better. In his press conference on Wednesday, Cuomo singled out the assemblyman for having targeting him and his administration.
"I never said anything about Assemblyman Ron Kim," Cuomo very maturely said. "He attacked me!"
The governor took advantage of the subject and accused Kim of soliciting sketchy donations from nail salons.
“I believe it was unethical if not illegal,” Cuomo said.
Lawmakers unsure what to make of Cuomo's presser called it an "unhinged rant."
Inbox: “Instead of apologizing and taking one iota of responsibility, he politically attacked the press, lawmakers, nursing home staff and blamed everyone but the man in the mirror ...” says @SenatorOrtt of @NYGovCuomo —> pic.twitter.com/o6HGJjZvWI
— Bernadette Hogan (@bern_hogan) February 17, 2021
New York media also noted how odd and very un-leaderlike Gov. Cuomo was acting.
... pic.twitter.com/YfbyJJnGDp
— City & State NY (@CityAndStateNY) February 17, 2021
Nine Democrats signed on to the effort to repeal Cuomo's emergency powers and leave the door open for possible impeachment.