Describing an alleged exchange with the governor that was not previously reported, Democratic Assemblyman Ron Kim told CNN that last week the governor received a call on his cell phone while he was taking a shower at home.
“Government Cuomo called me directly on Thursday to threaten my career if I did not cover Melissa. [DeRosa] And what she said. He tried to force me to make a statement, and it was a very shocking experience, “Kim said.” We are together in this business and we do not cross certain lines, “said Kim. According to ‘I could not see his wrath and he could destroy me.’
Cuomo’s adviser denied that the governor had threatened to destroy Kim.
DeRosa is a top ally of the governor who came to tell state legislators in a private virtual meeting last week that state legislators have been delayed in sharing with the legislature the full scope of covid-related deaths of New York nursing home residents. Concerns about a possible federal investigation by the Department of Justice. (The governor’s office has since released a partial transcript of the call.)
Kim, a progressive representing Queens who is one of the loudest critics of managing Cumo’s nursing homes during the epidemic and believes her own uncle died from a suspected case of covid in a nursing home last year, participated in a virtual call. During the meeting, Kim said he had asked the governor to apologize to the family members of those who died in the facility to stay as assistants. When the New York Post first reported on DeRosa’s controversial remarks, it was criticized in the comments.
“No one has ever talked to me like this in my entire life,” Kim said of her phone call with Kim. “At some point he tried to insult me and asked: ‘Are you a lawyer? I don’t think so. You are not a lawyer.’ It almost felt like he was luring me in and trying to make me angry and say something inappropriate. I’m glad I didn’t. ”
Kim’s wife told CNN that she overheard parts of Kim’s phone call with Cuomo last week, calling the governor “loud” and “angry.” He said he heard Kuomo say, “Who do you think?” As well as words like “my anger” and immediately after that phone call her husband told her: “The governor threatened to destroy my life.”
Efforts to reach Kimo’s Kim seemed to continue through the weekend. Kim said he received several calls from the “no caller ID” number, followed by messages from Kumaon aides that the governor would want to talk to him again. Kim said he did not return the phone call. He then told CNN that he believed this was necessary following Cuomo’s first call, which made him think the governor had told him to lie about what happened in the virtual call last week. He said he has informed the governor’s office that any advice should be sought by his adviser.
Tuesday when CNN. Arriving at Cuomo’s first fee to comment on the story, communications director Peter Ajemin did not directly respond to or deny Kim’s allegations of threats from the governor in a written statement. Late Tuesday, Ajmeen said the fee would send a clarification statement. Finally, Office Fees sent a statement from senior adviser Rich Azzopardi late Wednesday morning stating: “It is wrong for Kim to say that the governor said he would ‘destroy it.’
“There are three witnesses to the governor’s conversation. The effect of the operational words was, ‘I am also of the Queens, and people still expect respect and integrity in politics.’ “Azopardi said.
At the same time that Azopardi’s statement was sent to CNN, Cuomo began a pre-arranged press conference call on the coronavirus, and discussed his “long and hostile relationship” with Kim.
Cuomo said Kim’s political animosity stemmed from a 2015 bill to improve nail salons suggested by the governor, which Kim initially supported, but later opposed. Cuomo was quoted in a New York Times report that year as examining the financial contributions Kim received after he stepped down. In that article, the top cumo was criticizing assistant Kim.
Kim said on Wednesday that he stood “100%” with his accusation that Cuomo had threatened to destroy him. He said he did not remember Cuomo giving a specific reference to the Queen, but Cuomo asked him on the phone last week, “Mr. Kim, are you an honorable man?” Before proceeding to suggest that the honorable thing for Kim is to issue a statement of support.
Kim also rejected Kumomo’s suggestion that she intended to criticize Kumomo over Kovid’s death in a nursing home, saying he was “deeply disappointed” by the governor’s handling of the case during the epidemic.
“There’s no undoing here. There’s blood on their hands,” Kim said. “We’re talking about his performance record over the last 10 months.”
Azzopardi’s statement also said that Kumom had called Kim last week to take up the issue with Kim’s comments in an early story in the New York Post, suggesting that Kim issue a new statement and that the legislature had agreed to do so. When no statement was made, Zopardi said no response was received following Kuomo’s office fee.
Kim told CNN he did not agree to make a new statement, and the New York Post’s initial story did not misinterpret him.
Kim is not the only legislator to have received terrible pushbacks and threats from Cuomo and his top aides since last week, according to three additional Democratic New York legislators. All spoke to CNN on condition of anonymity because they feared retaliation from the governor.
He said the administration had taken an aggressive stance from legislators that they would help support control of deaths involving nursing homes, and threatened those who were considering a vote to strip them of their emergency powers.
All three legislators said they were aware of the governor’s outreach, in which he explicitly suggested or explicitly threatened to take political revenge if they did not come with him. One of them, a senator from the state of New York, who said he was not contacted by Cuomo but heard directly from multiple colleagues who had reached Cumo, the governor said, threatened retaliation – some of which he warned. That it could spoil their politics. Careers if they support the weakening of the working powers of the Cuomo.
In other cases, the administration has been consistent in urging lawmakers to come to Cumon’s defense, including issuing supportive statements from last week’s virtual meeting.
A member of the New York Assembly said he had heard from multiple colleagues who had received messages from the administration suggesting that language could lead to the dismissal of legislators after DeRosa’s controversial remarks became public. Members were encouraged to say that the virtual catwalk had become productive and legislators were assured that their requests for information would be forwarded, according to this legislator, who described the messages that many colleagues received from members of the administration.
Cuomo has been widely criticized for controlling nursing home-related deaths during epidemics. His office did not deny allegations that Cuomo threatened other New York legislators.
In a written statement to CNN, Cuomo Communications Director Ajemian did not deny that Cuomo had threatened other legislators.
Cuomo is ready for re-election next year.
CNN’s Lauren Dale Walle contributed to the report.
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