President Trump’s Justice Department is reportedly investigating New York City mayoral race frontrunner Andrew Cuomo over allegations that he lied to Congress about official actions he took as governor during the COVID pandemic.
The Cuomo probe, which is sparking accusations of election interference, was launched about a month ago by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Washington, D.C., the New York Times first reported late Tuesday.
The probe came in response to a criminal referral House Republicans made to the Justice Department in October 2024 accusing Cuomo of lying while testifying before Congress about his controversial 2020 order directing New York nursing homes to admit residents diagnosed with COVID, a policy that resulted in hundreds of deaths. The referral — which President Biden’s administration determined wasn’t grounds for prosecution — claimed Cuomo lied when he testified he didn’t recall being involved in drafting a State Health Department report about nursing home COVID deaths.
The initiation of the Cuomo probe came over a month after he officially kicked off his campaign for mayor. Cuomo, who has a history of feuding with Trump, is polling as the clear favorite to win June’s Democratic mayoral primary, and his spokesman, Rich Azzopardi, characterized the launch of the investigation as an attempt by Trump’s team to sabotage the ex-gov’s run for City Hall.
“We have never been informed of any such matter, so why would someone leak it now? The answer is obvious: This is lawfare and election interference plain and simple — something President Trump and his top Department of Justice officials say they are against,” Azzopardi said.
The probe also started just weeks after Trump’s Justice Department secured a controversial dismissal of Mayor Adams’ corruption indictment, which accused him of taking bribes and illegal campaign cash from Turkish government operatives in exchange for political favors.
Trump’s DOJ quashed Adams’ case with the understanding it would enable him to assist the president’s “mass deportation” agenda, an unusual arrangement that has led many to believe the mayor is beholden to Trump. In seeking the dismissal, Trump’s DOJ also said Adams’ case needed to be killed because it unfairly hampered his efforts to get reelected. Adams denies any wrongdoing or quid pro quo with Trump,
“Catching strays,” Adams spokeswoman Kayla Mamelak wrote on X in reference to news of the Cuomo investigation. She didn’t return a request to elaborate on that remark, made on an account where she identifies any views expressed as being her own.
Adams dropped out of the June 24 Democratic mayoral primary after the dismissal of his case. But he’s seeking reelection as an independent in November’s general election, meaning he could face off against Cuomo in that contest if the ex-gov wins the Democratic primary.
Cuomo resigned as governor in 2021 while facing likely impeachment over sexual harassment accusations he denies.
It’s unclear how word of an investigation into Cuomo could impact his mayoral election chances. Trump remains deeply unpopular in New York, though, and even Cuomo’s top primary opponents backhandedly came to his defense after news of the criminal investigation broke.
“Donald Trump cannot be trusted to pursue justice. While I believe New Yorkers should reject the disgraced ex-governor at the ballot box, the Trump administration’s actions are dangerous,” said Queens Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani, who has consistently polled as the runner-up to Cuomo in the mayoral primary.
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