Cuomo Skipped an Outrageous Number of Vital COVID Meetings While Writing COVID Book
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo reportedly missed 17 COVID-19 meetings with public health officials and other governors around the same time his memoir about COVID-19 “leadership” was being written and published.
The meetings from Jun. 1 to Oct. 30 were gubernatorial briefings with the White House coronavirus task force, according to the New York Post.
Cuomo’s new book, “American Crisis: Leadership Lessons from the COVID-19 Pandemic,” focuses on how he managed the outbreak in New York state during the early days of the pandemic.
When things were at their worst, NYers were at their best.
Understanding the facts we have learned are critical as we as a nation & as individuals continue to battle COVID.
My book, American Crisis, comes out today. Thanks for reading.https://t.co/6fpePDFyQV
— Andrew Cuomo (@andrewcuomo) October 13, 2020
In an interview with Alan Chartock on WAMC radio’s “The Roundtable” on Nov. 5, Chartock pressed Cuomo about the missed governor meetings.
“So you know, the White House is very angry at you. They say you miss all their briefings, and you’re the head, as you’ve pointed out, of the Governor’s Conference. And so is that true? And is this if it is true, why do you skip the briefings?” Chartock asked.
“They do briefings once a week or something. I’ve also missed circuses. I don’t go to a lot of circuses. Between the White House conference call and a circus, I think a circus would teach me more about COVID. I was on the last call. It’s a joke,” the governor responded.
Cuomo’s state has had the most coronavirus deaths in the nation by far. About 34,000 New York residents have died from the virus, nearly double the total from No. 2 Texas, according to Johns Hopkins University data.
The WAMC interview was one of many he has done in recent weeks to promote his book, even as coronavirus cases are surging in the state.
He appeared on ABC’s “Live with Kelly and Ryan” on Oct. 13, did an interview with NPR on Oct. 14, and was a guest on ABC’s “The View” on Oct. 29. That is by no means an exhaustive list.
There’s no other way to look at it: The governor is trying to profit off this crisis.
If Cuomo did such a great job at putting the outbreak under control in his state, why he has imposed a new curfew to accommodate for the surge in cases?
#BREAKING: Cuomo imposes 10 p.m. indoor curfew on bars, restaurants and gyms starting Friday; private home gatherings are limited to 10 people. Parts of Staten Island now become a yellow zone https://t.co/rvOGABImua
— NBC New York (@NBCNewYork) November 11, 2020
If Cuomo made the decision to write the book after the pandemic was over, that would be more acceptable. But doing so while it is still ongoing is a bad look, especially given the state’s worst-in-the-nation death toll.
Instead of helping New Yorkers get back to work safely by collaborating with other states and the federal government, he would rather impose lockdowns while getting celebrity approval on national television.
That is certainly no lesson in leadership.
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