Federal prosecutors target Cuomo over COVID-era congressional testimony, while a Senate report reveals Biden officials delayed public warnings about myocarditis linked to vaccines.

DOJ Probes Cuomo Over Alleged False Testimony

The U.S. Department of Justice has launched a criminal investigation into former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, focusing on allegations that he made false statements to Congress about his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. The probe was opened about a month ago by the U.S. attorney’s office in Washington, following internal Justice Department discussions that led to the dismissal of a separate corruption case against New York City Mayor Eric Adams—Cuomo’s political rival.

Cuomo, currently the leading Democratic candidate in the New York City mayoral race, is accused of misleading lawmakers during congressional hearings on the state’s COVID-19 nursing home policies. In March 2020, Cuomo’s administration issued a directive requiring nursing homes to admit patients who had tested positive for COVID-19, allegedly to ease hospital overcrowding. Over 9,000 recovering patients were transferred under the policy, which was later rescinded after it was suspected to have contributed to deadly outbreaks in long-term care facilities.

House Republicans, including Oversight Committee Chair James Comer and former Coronavirus Subcommittee Chair Brad Wenstrup, claim Cuomo intentionally misrepresented the impact of the directive and the true number of related deaths. Cuomo had testified that his decisions aligned with CDC and CMS guidance at the time. However, a 2022 report from the New York State Comptroller concluded that the Cuomo administration understated nursing home deaths by as much as 50% during parts of the pandemic.

Cuomo’s spokesperson, Rich Azzopardi, dismissed the DOJ investigation as politically motivated. “This is lawfare and election interference plain and simple,” he said, asserting that the former governor testified truthfully and offered to respond to further inquiries. Comer, in a letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi, insisted the matter was ignored by the previous administration and urged immediate action.

Senate Report: Biden Admin Withheld Vaccine Risk Data

Meanwhile, a newly released Senate report accuses the Biden administration of delaying warnings about myocarditis—heart inflammation—linked to COVID-19 vaccines. The 55-page interim report by Senator Ron Johnson, chairman of the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, outlines how U.S. health agencies failed to promptly inform the public about the risks associated with mRNA vaccines produced by Pfizer and Moderna.

Based on over 2,400 pages of subpoenaed documents, Johnson’s report claims the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and other agencies withheld critical safety information from both Congress and the public. Internal records show that in early 2021, CDC officials were aware of myocarditis cases, particularly among young males, but opted against issuing a formal nationwide Health Alert Network bulletin. Instead, the CDC published limited guidance on its website.

The report highlights early warnings from Israel’s Ministry of Health in February 2021 and internal CDC communications acknowledging “safety signals” by April. Draft notes from May 2021 show officials confirming increased myocarditis reports in age groups 16–24, yet it wasn’t until late June that the CDC and FDA updated vaccine labels to reflect these concerns.

Johnson’s findings sharply criticize the Biden administration for jeopardizing public health by downplaying vaccine-related adverse events. As of April 25, 2025, the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) listed over 1.6 million adverse events globally linked to COVID-19 vaccines, including 38,607 deaths—25% of which occurred within two days of vaccination. For comparison, 2,663 deaths were reported for flu vaccines over 35 years.

The report asserts that no other drug or vaccine has recorded such high levels of reported adverse events, demanding full transparency from health officials. “The American people fund the federal health departments and agencies with their hard-earned tax dollars,” the report states. “The information developed by these departments and agencies belong to the American people.”

With both Cuomo’s investigation and the Senate report unfolding simultaneously, scrutiny is intensifying over past pandemic leadership, transparency failures, and their political ramifications heading into a new election cycle.