The chair of the congressional committee probing the COVID-19 pandemic issued a subpoena Tuesday to Democratic New York Gov. Kathy Hochul for failing to release vital documents about deaths in the state’s nursing homes.
Republican Ohio Rep. Brad Wenstrup, Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic Chairman, issued a subpoena to the New York State Executive Chamber, now under the leadership of Hochul, demanding the release of documents concerning former Democratic New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo‘s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on nursing homes, according to the press release.
The subcommittee demanded on Nov. 6, 2023, essential records from the New York Executive Chamber about its decision to place COVID-19-positive patients in nursing homes, according to the letter sent to Hochul. Despite promises of full transparency, the failure to provide the requested documents has significantly hindered the investigation, a responsibility that rests solely with the executive chamber.
Wenstrup’s subpoena highlighted several withheld documents, including an email chain titled “Draft Nursing Home Plan” from April and May 2020, and communications regarding a May 11, 2020 directive requiring nursing home residents to show proof of a negative COVID-19 test before admission or readmission, the press release noted.
The executive chamber only revealed that specific responsive documents were deliberately withheld after providing all other materials to the subcommittee, the letter stated.
The announcement was made during a hearing with Cuomo, where evidence was presented highlighting the executive chamber’s repeated failure to provide the documents. Efforts by New York’s executive chamber to avoid transparency have escalated since May 2023, initially deflecting responsibility to the New York State Department of Health, the press release added.
Subsequent actions included the submission of hundreds of thousands of documents, many of which were incomplete, substantially redacted, or already publicly available, the press release stated. A privilege log containing allegedly illegitimate claims was only produced after specific requests from the subcommittee.
Hochul’s office did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
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