Pressure mounts on Cuomo over COVID deaths at nursing homes

He accused Kim of a pay-to-play scheme, saying he took campaign contributions from nail salon owners who resisted the reforms.

"Kim's assertion that the governor said he would "destroy him" is false", senior Cuomo advisor Rich Azzopardi told CNN. "I believe it's unethical, if not illegal". You're not a lawyer.' It nearly felt like in retrospect he was trying to bait me and anger me and say something inappropriate.

Before this, the governor's top aide Melissa DeRosa, 38, privately apologized to Democratic lawmakers for withholding the nursing home death toll from the new coronavirus (COVID-19) in New York, United States.

But the controversy over the Cuomo administration's admitted cover-up of nursing home death numbers - exclusively revealed by The Post last week - hasn't been mentioned on Chris' hour-long show.

But the governor's actions appear to have political effects nonetheless.

"These pop-up sites allow us to work with the local leaders and trusted voices in those communities that were hit the hardest by COVID, helping to ensure access to and instill confidence in the vaccine, while also furthering our goal to vaccinate every single New Yorker". Kim's wife said she had "overheard parts of Kim's phone call with Cuomo last week, and described the governor as "loud" and 'angry.' She said she heard Cuomo say, 'Who do you think you are?' as well as the words, 'my wrath, ' and that immediately after the phone call, her husband told her: 'The governor threatened to destroy my life'". "I hope today's news will change that". According to Kim, the governor added, "We're in this business together and we don't cross certain lines". "But these facts are not going away because they are the facts - unacceptable facts that hold him accountable". The fallout is connected to an executive order issued by Cuomo in March 2020, when hospitals were directed to release coronavirus-positive patients back to their nursing homes.

The governor used a call with reporters to blast Assembly member Ron Kim, of Queens, one of nine Democrats who signed a letter seeking support for a bill that would revoke the governor's emergency powers related to the pandemic, which are set to expire this spring.

Cuomo is already in hot water after his office concealed the true number of COVID-19 deaths in nursing homes.

Kim said Wednesday the governor is now trying to distract the public from growing criticism from Democrats and Republicans alike about his administration's handling and reporting of outbreaks.