UPDATE: FEB. 23, 2021: Assemblyman Ron Kim is now calling for Cuomo to face impeachment in light of the Governor’s nursing home scandal.
ORIGINAL ARTICLE: NY Assemblyman Says He ‘Will Not Support’ Cuomo Politically After Accusing the Governor of Threats: “I Can Destroy You!”
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo’s downward spiral continued late this week, as a Democratic New York State assemblyman, Ron Kim, accused Governor Cuomo of threatening him, even screaming, “I can destroy you.”
Today, Kim announced that he would not be supporting Cuomo politically over the nursing home scandal, Fox News reported.
The accusation comes as the embattled Governor faces calls to resign from office after it was revealed that his administration hid the number of COVID-19 related deaths from nursing homes.
The Governor’s office is denying fault entirely.
What happened:
- “He tried to pressure me to issue a statement and it was a very traumatizing experience,” Assemblyman Kim said on CNN during a Wednesday interview. Kim represents a district in Queens that was one of the hardest-hit districts when the pandemic first started in 2020.
- The COVID-19 pandemic has hit New York state hard; the Empire state has one of the highest death totals next to California. Governor Cuomo’s office has come under fire recently for hiding the number of COVID-19 deaths related to nursing homes, after his administration directed nursing homes to accept COVID-19 positive patients after they were released from the hospital.
- Some CNN hosts have decided to cover the story, while Cuomo’s brother Chris, who hosts a nightly show, was mocked for completely ignoring the issue this past Friday. CNN has since ‘ordered’ Chris Cuomo to not cover his brother’s administration as a “news” anchor.
What they’re saying:
- “No man has ever spoken to me like that in my entire life,” Ron Kim continued, saying that Cuomo also said that “he (Kim) hasn’t seen his (Cuomo’s) wrath of anger yet.”
- Kim’s wife said that she overheard the conversation, and confirmed that she heard the Governor yelling on the phone.
- Cuomo’s Senior advisor, Rich Azzopardi, released a statement on Wednesday accusing Kim of lying about the encounter. The Governor continued his attack on Kim Wednesday during a press conference.
The alleged phone call happened on Thursday, February 11th, and the Governor yelled at Kim for ten minutes.
