Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) showed up at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center on Monday to hold an event encouraging New Yorkers to get their COVID-19 vaccinations. He has some nerve showing his face at that particular venue, New Yorkers noted, because he refused to use the site to house COVID patients when he had the chance. Instead, thousands of recovering patients were sent back into nursing homes following his March 25 mandate. Only recently did we discover that his administration intentionally withheld the accurate number of COVID nursing home deaths.
Back when New York Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R) was still an assemblywoman, she was one of few public officials demanding to know why Cuomo had not utilized Javits or the USNS Comfort that President Trump sent to the New York Harbor for COVID patients.
"As these makeshift hospitals came online, he just kept putting people in facilities," Malliotakis said confusedly.
Janice Dean, who lost both of her in-laws to COVID in New York nursing homes and has been demanding investigations for months, was among the critics who were appalled Cuomo dared show his face at Javits after so much tragedy.
Remember when you never used @javitscenter to put Covid patients and instead jammed 9,000 of them into nursing homes? https://t.co/AD74hEtqEs
— Janice Dean (@JaniceDean) March 9, 2021
The stones this man has to stand at thev@javitscenter when he didn’t use it for COVID patients last year...
— Christopher Marcello (@cmarcello17) March 9, 2021
For like three months straight I kept yelling...WHY aren’t they using the Javits Center? Is there an actual answer?
— ??Eurylino (Pronounced: Karen ) (@BerlinoNicole) March 9, 2021
A bipartisan group of lawmakers has called on Gov. Cuomo to resign following a second scandal. Five women have now come forward to accuse him of sexual harassment. In a press conference last week, he apologized to anyone he may have made uncomfortable, explaining that grabbing people's faces and kissing them is just his "customary way of greeting."
He did not apologize for any role he may have had in the nursing home tragedy.