NW Kentucky News

WASHINGTON — Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic Chairman Brad Wenstrup (R-Ohio) announced a subpoena to compel the New York State Executive Chamber, led by Governor Kathy Hochul, to hand over documents related to former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo’s COVID-19 pandemic response and nursing home policies. During Chairman Wenstrup’s opening statement at today’s hearing with Mr. Cuomo, he confronted the former Governor with evidence of New York’s Executive Chamber repeatedly withholding documents related to the Cuomo Administration’s nursing home decisions.

Since May 2023, New York’s Executive Chamber has employed various strategies to avoid providing the Select Subcommittee with responsive documents. Initially, the Executive Chamber deflected responsibility to the New York State Department of Health. Subsequently, it provided hundreds of thousands of documents that were often incomplete, substantially redacted, or publicly available. Finally, it provided a privilege log only after it was requested by the Select Subcommittee, which included numerous illegitimate privilege claims. This repeated evasion raises questions about Governor Hochul’s role in covering up for her predecessor.

“The Executive Chamber withheld numerous other critically important documents related to the Order, including an email thread occurring between April and May 2020, entitled ‘Draft Nursing Home Plan.’ Interestingly, the Executive Chamber also withheld documents and communications related to the former Governor’s decision on May 11, 2020, to require readmitted and admitted residents to have proof of a negative COVID-19 test prior to being discharged to nursing homes,” Chairman Wenstrup described in the subpoena cover letter.

The Select Subcommittee's cover letter and subpoena are available for public viewing.

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