It’s a familiar clash of the titans in the Empire State as New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio rebukes Gov. Andrew Cuomo for his decisions regarding nursing homes during the coronavirus pandemic.
De Blasio’s most recent criticisms of the governor came during his press conference on Monday.
“I do not accept his explanation. There needs to be a full investigation,” de Blasio said. “Thousands of lives were lost. Families deserve answers. We need to get the whole truth here. We need to make sure nothing like this ever happens again.”
The mayor previously criticized Cuomo for his reaction to the allegations by state Assemblyman Ron Kim, who emerged as a Cuomo critic when he posted a Twitter thread alleging corruption in the governor’s handling of the public health crisis. The governor reportedly called Kim to threaten him with public retribution, warning that he had not yet experienced his “wrath,” which could “destroy” him.
“That’s classic Andrew Cuomo,” de Blasio said in reaction to the news. “A lot of people in New York state have received those phone calls. You know, the bullying is nothing new. I believe Ron Kim, and it’s very, very sad, no public servant, no person who is telling the truth should be treated that way. But yeah, the threats, the belittling, the demand that someone change their statement right that moment, many, many times I’ve heard that, and I know a lot of other people in the state have heard that.”
Cuomo senior adviser Rich Azzopardi accused Kim of “lying” in a prior statement to the Washington Examiner, adding, “I know because I was one of three other people in the room when the phone call occurred. At no time did anyone threaten to ‘destroy’ anyone with their ‘wrath,’ nor engage in a ‘cover-up.’ That’s beyond the pale and is, unfortunately, part of a yearslong pattern of lies by Mr. Kim against this administration.”
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Cuomo and de Blasio have had a long-standing feud that has pitted state officials against city authorities across a range of issues. The two have clashed over COVID-19 restrictions, budget measures, and wealthy New Yorkers fleeing the city, among other disputes.
