Topline
Former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, who is running in this year’s New York City mayoral race, accused President Donald Trump’s administration of engaging in election interference, following reports that the Justice Department had opened a criminal investigation into his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo speaks outside the West Side Institutional Synagogue in New York … More
Key Facts
According to the New York Times, which first reported on the matter, the U.S. attorney’s office in Washington opened an investigation into his testimony he gave to Congress about his handling of the pandemic, where several GOP lawmakers have accused him of lying.
In a statement shared with multiple outlets, a spokesperson for Cuomo said: “This is lawfare and election interference plain and simple — something President Trump and his top Department of Justice officials say they are against.”
The spokesperson said Cuomo’s team has not been informed about the investigation and asked why someone would “leak it now,” implying that it was being done to impact the New York Mayoral race.
He then added that the former governor “ testified truthfully to the best of his recollection about events from four years earlier, and he offered to address any follow-up questions from the subcommittee.”
A Marist poll of the Democratic Mayoral Primary released last week showed Cuomo leading by a significant margin.
A former key aide for Cuomo, Melissa DeRosa, tweeted about the reported probe, saying: “Trump wants a mayor who will bend the knee (or be up his butt)…Andrew Cuomo is his nightmare come true…enter law-fare…and a galvanized democratic base.”
Big Number
74%. That is the percentage of New York City Democratic primary voters who want a candidate who “will try to oppose President Donald Trump as much as possible,” according to the Marist Poll.
