You are reading

De Blasio Says He Believes Ron Kim ‘100 Percent,’ Accuses Cuomo of Bullying

Gov. Cuomo, Assemblymember Kim and Mayor deBlasio

Feb. 18, 2021 By Christian Murray

The feud between Governor Andrew Cuomo and Mayor Bill de Blasio appears to have been ratcheted up a notch—with the mayor accusing Cuomo of bullying Queens Assemblyman Ron Kim.

The mayor said that he “100 percent” believes Kim’s account of the dispute the Assemblyman has had with Cuomo.

Kim said Cuomo threatened to “destroy him” during a harsh phone call on Thursday, following Kim accusing the governor of seeking to cover up the death toll at nursing homes.

Cuomo allegedly demanded that Kim change his statement related to the nursing home scandal.

De Blasio on MSNBC’s Morning Joe this morning said that “a lot of people in New York State have received those phone calls,” adding that “that’s classic Andrew Cuomo.”

“The bullying is nothing new. I believe Ron Kim and it’s very, very said,” de Blasio said during the MSNBC interview.

Cuomo, however, has accused Kim of “lying,” and denies that the threats were made.

At a press briefing later this morning de Blasio also lashed out Cuomo.

“Someone being bullied is not acceptable, and Ron Kim was trying to raise real concerns and honest concerns on behalf of families in the city, in this state, who have lost loves,” he said. “That deserves respect and he wasn’t given it.”

Cuomo’s latest dispute with Kim began after the New York Post reported that a top aide to Cuomo admitted that his administration had withheld nursing home death data out of fear that it would be used against them by federal prosecutors.

Kim was quoted in the NYPost story saying that it appeared as if the governor was “trying to dodge having any incriminating evidence.”

On Tuesday, Kim doubled down and accused the governor of “obstruction of justice,” a charge Cuomo denies.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Brooklyn and the FBI are reportedly investigating the Cuomo administration’s handling of the nursing home deaths, according to Albany Times Union.

De Blasio said at the press briefing endorsed the need for an investigation.

“We’re talking about thousands of people who were lost…and the questions need to be answered to make sure nothing like this ever happens again.”

email the author: news@queenspost.com
No comments yet

Leave a Comment
Reply to this Comment

All comments are subject to moderation before being posted.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Recent News

Burglar caught on camera raising a glass of stolen liquor inside Kew Gardens Hills synagogue: NYPD

Police from the 107th Precinct in Fresh Meadows are looking for a burglar who allegedly broke into a Kew Gardens Hills synagogue in broad daylight last month and slaked his thirst for liquor.

At around 3 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 7, the suspect broke into Yeshiva Hashevaynu, a Shul located in a one-family home at 144-49 72nd Dr., at around 3 p.m. by manipulating a lock on a basement door with a wire coat hanger, police said on Thursday. Once inside, the culprit found two bottles of booze and used a plastic cup to drink up, but not before he was captured on a security camera toasting whoever viewed the images.

Four injured in Queensboro Hill house fire fueled by e-bikes and lithium-ion batteries: FDNY fire marshals

FDNY fire marshals determined that lithium-ion batteries sparked a fire in a Queensboro Hill townhouse that injured three residents and a firefighter were injured a few blocks south of Kissena Corridor Park on Friday morning.

The blaze broke out in a home at 142-33 60th Ave. just before 5:30 a.m. The first firefighters on the scene found heavy fire emanating from the first floor that may have been sparked and intensified by the presence of lithium-ion batteries and a half-dozen e-bikes in the basement of the home.

Creedmoor campus killer arraigned Thursday for murder of fellow patient; NYPD reveals unexpected cause of death

New details have emerged in the murder of a patient at a mental health facility on the grounds of the Creedmoor Psychiatric Center in Queens Village on the morning of Monday, Jan. 19.

The victim’s roommate, 23-year-old David Zheng, was arrested and charged with murder and other related crimes after Ronald Giacopelli, 63, was found lying face down in a pool of blood with stab wounds to the back of the neck and lower back, at around 10:36 a.m.