CNN's Stelter,' 'Saturday Night Live' this weekend didn't mention Cuomo's nursing home COVID story

A Cuomo aide said the administration purportedly misrepresented the death toll for fear it would "be used against us."
Gov. Andrew Cuomo
By Just the News staff

CNN's media critic Brian Stelter on his one-hour Sunday show "Reliable Sources" failed to include reporting on New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo's administration purportedly withholding data on COVID-19 deaths at nursing homes to avoid federal scrutiny, amid the growing scandal.

News that a top Cuomo aide told state Democratic lawmakers that the administration had withheld the data on the deaths was reported Friday by the New York Post.

However, a search of "Reliable Sources" transcripts for this past Sunday by FoxNews.com found no mention of the words "nursing homes" or "Andrew Cuomo."

In addition, MSNBC's Sunday shows and NBC's "Saturday Night Live" also appeared to ignore the story, with MSNBC instead devoting airtime to the Senate impeachment trial for former President Trump that ended Saturday in an acquittal, Fox also reported.

The Cuomo aide, Melissa DeRosa, secretary to the governor, told the lawmakers during a video conference call that the administration misrepresented the number of deaths to Justice Department investigators over fears it could "be used against us," according to the Post story.

The department began in August requesting data on nursing home coronavirus deaths from four states including New York.

In recent days, a recall petition effort on Change.org has gained steam, and New York GOP Rep. Lee Zeldin has urged the Justice Department to begin an obstruction of justice probe.

Cuomo was praised for his efforts in the early stages of the pandemic, winning an Emmy for televised coronavirus briefings and sparking chatter about his potential to become a top-tier presidential candidate.

However, his early directive for nursing homes to accept patients who had or were suspected of having COVID-19, resulted in a high number of infections and deaths among elderly patients in nursing homes, among the country's most vulnerable population. (Cuomo later changed that directive.)

In recent weeks, a court order and state attorney general report have forced the state to acknowledge the nursing home resident death toll is nearly 15,000, when it previously reported 8,500. And that number excluded residents who died after being taken to hospitals. The new total is about one-seventh of the people living in nursing homes in New York as of 2019, Fox also reports.