New York Governor Andrew Cuomo arrives to depart in his helicopter after saying his resignation in New York City, August 10, 2021.
Caitlin Ochs | Reuters
Close allies of former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, together with his top aide and his former CNN anchor brother, plotted to discover methods to discredit Fox News meteorologist and host Janice Dean after she turned one of the vital vocal critics of the governor’s dealing with of the coronavirus pandemic, in accordance to individuals aware of the matter.
Melissa DeRosa, who had served as secretary to the governor, was among the many Cuomo aides who ripped Dean behind the scenes and sought to craft a public messaging technique that may paint the Fox News character as merely a right-wing commentator, individuals aware of the trouble instructed CNBC. Dean’s criticism of Cuomo stemmed primarily from the 2020 deaths of her husband’s mother and father, whom she stated died of Covid of their elder-care services.
It stays unclear if DeRosa or Cuomo’s group ever went forward with initiating such a plan.
Andrew Cuomo himself was current throughout a number of the technique periods throughout which Dean was talked about, one of many individuals stated. These periods primarily centered on the governor’s response to Covid.
Chris Cuomo, who was a CNN anchor until he was fired last week, was inspired to discover data that may give attention to Dean’s political leanings, in accordance to an individual aware of the matter. It’s unclear whether or not Chris Cuomo ever went forward with digging up data on Dean, or who inspired him to search the knowledge. Dean began criticizing Andrew Cuomo on air and in columns throughout 2020, earlier than the sexual harassment scandal exploded.
The individuals cited on this article declined to be named so as to converse freely about non-public conversations.
CNN fired Chris Cuomo after paperwork launched by New York Attorney General Letitia James showed that he had a much deeper role advising the previous governor’s group than beforehand recognized whereas his brother was being accused of sexual harassment.
The former governor has denied wrongdoing. He resigned in August after the legal professional basic launched a report detailing greater than 10 situations of alleged misconduct by Cuomo. Chris Cuomo has additionally been accused of sexual harassment by former colleagues, and he has additionally denied it ever occurred.
Andrew Cuomo spokesman Rich Azzopardi instructed CNBC that he did not know whether or not Chris Cuomo was being requested to look into Dean. He denied that the technique periods have been centered on her. He additionally stated the governor’s workplace’s response to Dean’s criticisms was dealt with by the press workplace.
“We had no ‘technique periods’ about Janice Dean and to the extent that the press workplace had to reply to one thing she stated, it was dealt with by the press workplace and didn’t rise to the extent of one thing the governor can be engaged with,” Azzopardi initially instructed CNBC on Friday in an electronic mail.
Later Azzopardi clarified to CNBC in a comply with up textual content message after publication of this story about Chris Cuomo.
“I’ve no information of this ever occurring and you have to ask, why then did the Attorney General not put something about it in her report or ask any of the related individuals about it?” he stated late Friday.
Representatives for Chris Cuomo and DeRosa didn’t reply to requests for remark.
In a press release to CNBC, Dean took intention once more at Cuomo’s dealing with of nursing residence sufferers and ripped the previous governor’s allies.
“As I’ve stated from day one, this was by no means about politics. I watched first-hand how the governor’s workplace handled grieving households attempting to get solutions in regards to the March 25th 2020 government order to admit over 9,000 Covid constructive sufferers into nursing properties. Instead of addressing our issues or expressing their condolences, Cuomo’s spokesperson Rich Azzopardi referred to as us a ‘loss of life cult’ and instructed my sister in regulation to ‘get a life’ not lengthy after each her mother and father died,” Dean instructed CNBC on Friday.
Dean emerged as one of the vital outstanding critics of Andrew Cuomo’s response to Covid, notably how he dealt with nursing properties, when the a lot of the media and the nation seemed on him favorably. Her father- and mother-in-law each died of Covid of their elder-care services, Dean wrote in a USA Today op-ed published in July 2020.
“The proven fact that this governor refuses to settle for accountability for his actions makes our grief and anger far worse,” she wrote. “I do know I converse for a lot of once I say we want a nonpartisan investigation on each the state and federal stage in order that this by no means occurs once more.”
A Cuomo administration directive stated nursing properties couldn’t flip away sufferers who have been contaminated with Covid. Dean has blamed that directive and the previous governor’s general dealing with of the pandemic for the loss of life of her in-laws.
Dean continued her criticism of Cuomo into 2021 and by means of his resignation.
Early this 12 months, Azzopardi, the Andrew Cuomo spokesman, dismissed Dean’s assaults on the then-governor in a press release to the UK newspaper the Daily Mail: “Last I checked she’s not a reputable supply on something besides possibly the climate.”
The then-governor in 2020 had develop into a sensation for his common Covid disaster press conferences and his common media appearances throughout which he touted his response to the pandemic and criticized former President Donald Trump’s personal dealing with of the virus. He appeared together with his brother Chris Cuomo a number of occasions at public Covid occasions and on the air.
“It was unhealthy sufficient seeing him on all of the nationwide information channels being requested about his love life as an alternative of his deadly coverage. But the day my anger and grief turned to rage was once I noticed the governor and his anchorman brother Chris Cuomo laughing and joking round on CNN primetime about large cotton swabs and arguing about who their mom’s favourite son was,” Dean said at the time.
The controversy surrounding nursing properties went past the outcry by Dean and others. The state Attorney General released a report earlier this 12 months that stated Cuomo’s administration had undercounted by 1000’s coronavirus-related deaths of state nursing residence residents.
Cuomo admitted that their lack of public transparency on nursing residence deaths was a mistake. He additionally stated his workplace was involved about Trump’s Department of Justice presumably initiating a politically biased investigation.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation was trying into whether or not Cuomo’s aides gave false data on nursing residence deaths to the Department of Justice, according to a March report by The New York Times. The Justice Department in July decided not to pursue the case.
Full Dean assertion:
“As I’ve stated from day one, this was by no means about politics. I watched first-hand how the governor’s workplace handled grieving households attempting to get solutions in regards to the March 25th 2020 government order to admit over 9,000 Covid constructive sufferers into nursing properties. Instead of addressing our issues or expressing their condolences, Cuomo’s spokesperson Rich Azzopardi referred to as us a ‘loss of life cult’ and instructed my sister in regulation to ‘get a life’ not lengthy after each her mother and father died. Over the final 12 months and a half I’ve seen victims of Andrew Cuomo and these demanding accountability demeaned and smeared within the press and on social media. In January of this 12 months, Azzopardi was notably misogynistic by responding to my inquiries and reporting as ‘not a reputable supply on something besides possibly the climate.’ So whereas I’m not shocked to hear that the Cuomo’s administration alongside his brother Chris Cuomo have been doing the identical with me, I’m glad these particulars are coming to gentle.”