New York Governor Andrew Cuomo (D)’s administration has hired Harvey Weinstein’s defense attorney as federal investigators probe his state’s handling of nursing home patients during the coronavirus pandemic.
Lawyer Elkan Abramowitz confirmed to the New York Daily News that he and his firm are representing Governor Cuomo and his top officials involved in the state’s nursing home scandal.
Federal investigators are probing the Cuomo administration, which is facing mounting criticism and allegations of a coverup involving the death count of nursing home residents during the pandemic.
Last March, the governor signed a directive that forced nursing homes to accept coronavirus-positive patients in order to free up hospital beds — a move that resulted in additional nursing home deaths, which Cuomo’s administration was later accused of underreporting.
Following his nursing home scandal, Cuomo went on to face multiple sexual harassment accusations.
Abramowitz said that when it comes to the other scandals involving the governor, he and his firm have “not been retained on the sexual harassment matter.” Abramowitz had previously come under fire for serving as disgraced movie mogul and Democrat Party mega-donor Harvey Weinstein’s lawyer, and helping avoid charges for admittedly groping a model.
Abramowitz has also served as Woody Allen’s lawyer, representing the director in his 1990s custody battle with actress Mia Farrow, and defending Allen when his adoptive daughter Dylan Farrow accused him of sexual assault.
As for Cuomo, when asked about the investigation being conducted by Brooklyn prosecutors and the FBI, the governor deflected the state’s matter onto former President Donald Trump, adding that such inquires have only been given to states run by Democrats.
“We have had requests from the Department of Justice since last year when President Trump accused Democratic states of the COVID problem,” said Cuomo. “Let’s be accurate, President Trump first denied the COVID problem — his second strategy was, ‘OK there’s a COVID problem, but it’s caused by Democratic states.'”
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