NEW YORK Governor Andrew Cuomo has experienced a poor year — and the hits just keep coming. Cuomo — one particular of the several politicians who presented up a semblance of reassurance in the early course of the pandemic — is now watching his influence and political clout go downhill. Amid a slew of sexual assault allegations, a federal investigation into his administration’s undercounting of nursing home COVID-19 fatalities, and studies of a structurally unsafe bridge named after his father, Cuomo now faces a fourth big controversy. The 63-year-old third-term governor, who had vowed to make the testing available to those most in need, is accused of arranging special accessibility to emergency-use coronavirus tests for his family members and other well-connected people close to his administration in the early months of the pandemic, when COVID-19 tests were scarce, according to reports Wednesday night. Both The Washington Post and the Times Union in Albany, capital of New York State, reported that Cuomo’s office arranged coronavirus testing for his family, including his CNN anchor brother Chris and other influential people with close Cuomo ties, whose test specimens were then rushed by state troopers to the Wadsworth Center, a public health lab, in Albany. Employees at the center were sometimes asked to stay late after their shifts to continue processing results of people close to Cuomo and his administration, the Post said. These tests would often be processed on the same day, during a time, the Post said, when testing resources were short. The testing was conducted at times at people’s homes and in part by Dr. Eleanor Adams, an epidemiologist who was a special adviser to the state Health Department, the reports said, citing unnamed sources. The Post also noted the specimens tied to Cuomo and his family were “shrouded in secrecy,” and that they were kept discreet using initials and numbers. The Post reported that the testing efforts directed by the Cuomo administration early in the pandemic included “two-person swabbing teams to test ‘dozens’ of VIPs, some living in penthouses in Manhattan, according to one person with direct knowledge.” The Times Union, which first reported the details, said Adams’ trips including going to the Long Island home of Chris Cuomo, who announced in late March 2020 that he was positive for COVID and detailed his battle with the virus nightly on his show — on which the governor often appeared last year. In a statement, a CNN spokesman appeared to confirm that its anchor sought out special treatment from his well-connected brother. “We generally do not get involved in the medical decisions of our employees. However, it is not surprising that in the earliest days of a once-in-a-century global pandemic, when Chris was showing symptoms and concerned about possible spread, he turned to anyone he could for advice and assistance, as any human being would,” the spokesperson said. Cuomo’s office did not deny the reports, but said the state was trying to test as many people as possible to develop a contact tracing program, citing the door-to-door efforts to test residents in New Rochelle, the Westchester County community that was the first COVID hot spot in the nation. “We should avoid insincere efforts to rewrite the past,” Rich Azzopardi, Cuomo’s special adviser, said in a statement. “In the early days of this pandemic, when there was a heavy emphasis on contact tracing, we were absolutely going above and beyond to get people testing — including in some instances going to people’s homes.” He said the effort was aimed at taking “samples from those believed to have been exposed to COVID in order to identify cases and prevent additional ones.” And Azzopardi said: “Among those we assisted were members of the general public, including legislators, reporters, state workers and their families who feared they had contracted the virus and had the capability to further spread it.” An administration official said the matter was becoming “a little bit distorted with like a devious intent” because “all of this was being done in good faith in an effort to trace the virus.” The flap led to a new round of calls for Cuomo to resign. Cuomo has come under increased scrutiny in recent weeks as two other scandals threaten his governorship. The Democrat has been accused of sexual harassment by several women, most of whom are former aides to Cuomo. The accusations began in late February when a former aide alleged in a Medium post that Cuomo kissed her on the lips against her will in 2018 after a short meeting in his New York City office. The governor denies he ever engaged in inappropriate touching. The allegations have resulted in investigations: a state-level investigation by New York Attorney General Letitia James and an “impeachment investigation” in the New York state Assembly, and a reported FBI investigation into the data on nursing home deaths. The governor had allegedly underreported the number of nursing home deaths that resulted from COVID-19 and also delayed sharing potentially damaging information regarding the number of deaths among that vulnerable community with state lawmakers. Melissa DeRosa, secretary to the governor, said the administration “froze” after former U.S. President Donald Trump began tweeting about the controversy and withheld data out of fear of political retribution. Cuomo has repeatedly insisted he will not resign because the allegations are false, though he did apologize for making anyone feel uncomfortable. But the revelation Wednesday will draw scrutiny back to his many abuses of his post, just as Cuomo gained a public-relations win with the news that he and state lawmakers had agreed on a deal that would bring legal marijuana to New York. The state of New York has reported 1,788,874 confirmed cases of COVID-19, and 49,462 deaths were attributed to the disease, according to the Johns Hopkins University. Cuomo is the 56th governor of New York, serving since 2011. He surfaced in the national spotlight following the confirmation of the first coronavirus patient in New York on March 1, 2020. Although he pushed New York lawmakers into quickly approving US$40 million in emergency funding to contain the virus, the number of confirmed patients exploded in the following weeks, turning New York into the center of the pandemic with more than 25,000 cases by March 24, 2020. The governor publicly feuded with Trump as he sought to acquire more resources for his state, including a request for 30,000 ventilators for hospitals. In mid-April, Cuomo issued an order that required New Yorkers to wear face masks in public places where social distancing was not possible. At the start of the pandemic, Cuomo repeatedly vowed to not let politics or favoritism get in the way of the state’s response. New York was the hardest hit state in the nation in the early months of the pandemic, with as many as 800 deaths a day — making tests particularly hard to get. In fact, the governor spoke March 3, 2020, days after New York had its first case, on his brother’s SiriusXM radio show to urge that in times of emergency, it requires the “purest distillation of government.” “This is about capacity,” Cuomo said on the show. “This is not about concepts. It is not about rhetoric. Either government figures out how to handle this situation and do the test and do the quarantine and get all the health departments unified, or it doesn’t. There is no politics to this.”(SD-Agencies) Upcoming came the allegations of sexual harassment, inappropriate touching, and cultivating a toxic perform setting. Because his very first accuser came ahead, 8 additional gals have produced accusations versus Cuomo, which include three previous aides to the governor as perfectly as two journalists. Then, two weeks ago, a Times Union report located the Mario Cuomo Bridge has “structural safety” concerns that could lead to its collapse that the state had recognized about for decades. The new wave of events signifies a extraordinary departure from the position Cuomo savored last 12 months, when numerous praised his dealing with of the pandemic and his everyday press conferences, specially in contrast to all those of previous President Donald Trump. Cuomo even printed a ebook in October referred to as “American Disaster: Leadership Lessons from the COVID-19 Pandemic,” praising his personal coronavirus reaction and indicating, “we have witnessed how the virus is confronted and defeated.” But his self-aggrandizement was untimely. New York would not experience its peak range of conditions for another 3 months, in the course of the 3rd and worst surge in COVID scenario figures, nevertheless fatalities in the point out in no way again reached the highs of April 2020. And just as the 3rd surge started to wane in February, the tide started out to change for Cuomo. It hasn’t turned back because. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has experienced a poor year — and the hits just maintain coming. Cuomo — one particular of the several politicians who presented up a semblance of reassurance in the course of the early times of the pandemic — is now watching his impression and political profession speedily erode. Amid a slew of sexual assault allegations, a federal investigation into his administration’s undercounting of nursing dwelling COVID-19 fatalities, and studies of a structurally unsafe bridge named after his father, Cuomo now faces a fourth main controversy. The third-phrase governor is accused of arranging special accessibility to condition-administered coronavirus checks for his have loved ones customers and other high-profile figures as the pandemic battered New York early previous 12 months. In accordance to The Washington Publish, Cuomo’s administration dispatched a major medical professional and other condition health and fitness officials to his loved ones member’s households, which include brother Chris Cuomo’s Hamptons dwelling. The CNN anchor was diagnosed with COVID-19 past March. The accusations of coronavirus tests corruption come on best of increasing calls for his resignation, attainable impeachment, and important employees departures in his administration — all due to the fact March started. Cuomo to start with arrived beneath intensive scrutiny previously this calendar year amid stories that his aides experienced pressured condition officers to undercount the nursing-house demise toll in a July report. The Federal Bureau of Investigation has introduced an investigation into whether or not the governor and his advisors offered wrong figures. And The New York Periods reported past week that federal investigators had subpoenaed Cuomo’s office environment for files regarding the knowledge. Upcoming came the allegations of sexual harassment, inappropriate touching, and cultivating a toxic perform setting. Because his very first accuser came ahead, 8 additional gals have produced accusations versus Cuomo, which include three previous aides to the governor as perfectly as two journalists. Then, two weeks ago, a Times Union report located the Mario Cuomo Bridge has “structural safety” concerns that could lead to its collapse that the state had recognized about for decades. Cuomo has turned down calls to resign even as they arrive from leading New York lawmakers, which includes his fellow Democrats, saying undertaking so would be “anti-Democratic.” The new wave of events signifies a extraordinary departure from the position Cuomo savored last 12 months, when numerous praised his dealing with of the pandemic and his everyday press conferences, specially in contrast to all those of previous President Donald Trump. Cuomo even printed a ebook in October referred to as “American Disaster: Leadership Lessons from the COVID-19 Pandemic,” praising his personal coronavirus reaction and indicating, “we have witnessed how the virus is confronted and defeated.” But his self-aggrandizement was untimely. New York would not experience its peak range of conditions for another 3 months, in the course of the 3rd and worst surge in COVID scenario figures, nevertheless fatalities in the point out in no way again reached the highs of April 2020. And just as the 3rd surge started to wane in February, the tide started out to change for Cuomo. It hasn’t turned back because. Cuomo’s office did not deny the reports, but said the state was trying to test as many people as possible to develop a contact tracing program, citing the door-to-door efforts to test residents in New Rochelle, the Westchester County community that was the first COVID hot spot in the nation. “We should avoid insincere efforts to rewrite the past,” Rich Azzopardi, Cuomo’s special adviser, said in a statement. “In the early days of this pandemic, when there was a heavy emphasis on contact tracing, we were absolutely going above and beyond to get people testing — including in some instances going to people’s homes.” He said the effort was aimed at taking “samples from those believed to have been exposed to COVID in order to identify cases and prevent additional ones.” And Azzopardi said, “Among those we assisted were members of the general public, including legislators, reporters, state workers and their families who feared they had contracted the virus and had the capability to further spread it.” More:Assembly takes first step in Cuomo impeachment probe, but it could take months Latest bad news for Cuomo The reports were the latest troubling news for Cuomo, a Democrat who is already trying to fend off two scandals that are threatening his future as governor. The state Attorney General’s Office and the state Assembly are investigating Cuomo over sexual harassment allegations from at least eight women, mainly current and former aides. And the U.S. Department of Justice is investigating the Cuomo administration for its handling of COVID deaths in nursing homes, including undercounting fatalities connected to the homes. At the start of the pandemic, Cuomo repeatedly vowed to not let politics or favoritism get in the way of the state’s response. New York was the hardest hit state in the nation in the early months of the pandemic, with as many as 800 deaths a day — making tests particularly hard to get. In fact, the governor spoke March 3, 2020, days after New York had its first case, on his brother’s SiriusXM radio show to urge that in times of emergency, it requires the “purest distillation of government.” Get the Coronavirus Watch newsletter in your inbox. Stay safe and informed with updates on the spread of the coronavirus Delivery: Varies Your Email “This is about capacity,” Andrew Cuomo said on the show. “This is not about concepts. It is not about rhetoric. Either government figures out how to handle this situation and do the test and do the quarantine and get all the health departments unified, or it doesn’t. There is no politics to this.” More:Current employee says NY Gov. Andrew Cuomo made suggestive comments, ogled her The Post reported that the testing efforts directed by the Cuomo administration early in the pandemic included “two-person swabbing teams to test ‘dozens’ of VIPs, some living in penthouses in Manhattan, according to one person with direct knowledge.” The flap led to a new round of calls for Cuomo to resign. He has been under pressure from Democrats and Republicans to step down, both over the nursing home scandal and the sexual harassment allegations. Some want him impeached. “This report from the @timesunion detailing Andrew Cuomo’s favoritism and preferential COVID testing by state health officials at private residences for his family is yet another big reason why #CuomosGottaGo!” Rep. Lee Zeldin, R-Suffolk County, a Republican and potential gubernatorial candidate next year, wrote on Twitter. Joseph Spector is the Government and Politics Editor for the USA TODAY Network’s Atlantic Group, overseeing coverage in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland and Delaware. 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