Martucci calls for special prosecutor to investigate nursing home COVID deaths

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Email
Print

ALBANY – State Senator Michael Martucci (R, New Hampton), Friday, called for the appointment of a special prosecutor to investigate the actual number of nursing home deaths and if there was a coverup by Melissa DeRosa, Governor Cuomo’s top aide, into that number in the height of the coronavirus pandemic.

Martucci, a freshman lawmaker, said former US Attorney Preet Bharara should be appointed, with subpoena power, to investigate the Cuomo administration and its handling of the nursing home COVID-19 situation.

Michael Martucci

“What we need now is answers and when I think back to lessons from history it becomes the Watergate question which is really what did Governor Cuomo and Dr. Zucker know and when did they know it and from my perspective, and the prospective of so many others, these are criminal acts and they need to be treated this way,” he said.

DeRosa, Friday, released a partial transcript of her telephone call with state lawmakers where she told Senator James Skoufis (D, Cornwall), who raised the questions, that “basically, we froze because then we were in a position where we weren’t sure if what we were going to give to the Department of Justice or what we give to you guys, what we starting saying was going to be used against us while we weren’t sure if there was going to be an investigation.”

She pointed to then President Trump beating up New York and other states in their handling of nursing home patient deaths.

Martucci stopped short of calling for DeRosa’s resignation when asked if she should step down, only to say that a special prosecutor should look into the situation.




Popular Stories