MARIA: WELCOME BACK.
NEW YORK GOVERNOR ANDREW CUOMO
CAUGHT IN A COVER-UP THIS WEEK
AFTER HIS OWN ATTORNEY GENERAL
ADMITTED THAT CORONAVIRUS
NURSING HOME DEATHS IN NEW YORK
WERE UNDERCOUNTED BY AS MUCH AS
50%.
HERE IS WHAT THE GOVERNOR SAID
ABOUT IT ON FRIDAY.
>> OF ALL DEATHS IN THE NATION
ARE FROM NURSING HOMES.
NEW YORK STATE, WE ARE ONLY
ABOUT 28% ONLY BUT WE ARE BELOW
THE NATIONAL AVERAGE IN NUMBER
OF DEATHS IN NURSING HOMES.
BUT WHO CARES, 33, 28 DIED IN
THE HOSPITAL, DIED IN A NURSING
HOME.
THEY DIED.
MARIA: CONGRESSMAN LEE ZELDIN
REPRESENTING NEW YORK’S FIRST
CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT, HE JOINS
ME NOW.
GOOD MORNING, CONGRESSMAN,
THANKS FOR BEING HERE.
I DON’T KNOW QUITE WHAT TO SAY,
WHAT IS YOUR REACTION FROM WHAT
YOU HEARD FROM GOVERNOR CUOMO?
>> WHENEVER YOU HEAR HIM SAY WHO
CARES, EVERY TIME THE VIDEO IS
PLAYED, I THINK OF THE FAMILY
THAT LOST A LOVED ONE, MOM OR
DAD, GRANDMA, GRANDPA AND I
DON’T LOOK AT THIS STORY ABOUT
BEING ABOUT DATA, STATISTICS AND
NUMBERS.
THIS IS A COVER-UP AND IT’S A
COVER-UP OF A POLICY THAT ENDED
UP RESULTING IN THAT
GRANDMOTHER, GRANDFATHER LOSING
THEIR LIVES.
EARLY ON, THIS IS TOWARDS THE
END OF MARCH OF 2020.
NEW YORK STATE ORDERED THESE
NURSING HOMES TO TAKE IN
AFFECTED PATIENTS AND PLACE THEM
WITH HEALTHY RESIDENTS AND THEN
IT SPREAD LIKE WILD FIRE WHICH
IS EVEN A TERM THAT GOVERNOR
CUOMO HAS USED AND THEN THEY
COVERED IT UP.
AND, YEAH, WE ARE SEEING MORE
GET EXPOSED THIS PAST WEEK AFTER
THE AG’S REPORT CAME OUT IN NEW
YORK STATE BUT NOW THE FAMILIES,
THEY WANT EVEN MORE.
THEY WANT TO KNOW -- THEY WANT
TO KNOW ABOUT WHO ORDERED, WHO
WAS INVOLVED IN THIS ORIGINALLY
AND ALSO WHO WAS INVOLVED IN
COVERING UP THE NUMBERS AS THE
TIMELINE MOVED FORWARD IN THE
WEEKS AND MONTHS THAT FOLLOWED
AND THEY WANT NOT JUST MORE
INFORMATION AND TRANSPARENCY,
THEY ALSO WANT ACCOUNTABILITY.
I MEAN, THIS IS CRIMINAL WHAT
HAPPENED.
MARIA: YEAH.
WHAT IS YOUR REACTION TO NOW WE
UNDERSTAND JOE BIDEN IS
CONSIDERING ANDREW CUOMO TO
BECOME THE ATTORNEY GENERAL.
THERE’S THAT AND -- AND HIS
EXECUTIVE ORDERS SEEM TO BE
POSITIVE FOR SOME OF OUR
ENEMIES.
CANCELING THE XL PAINLINE
CERTAINLY IS A -- PIPELINE
CERTAINLY IS A GIFT.
WHAT’S YOUR TAKE ON THE BIDEN
EXECUTIVE ORDERS WITH REGARD TO
ITS IMPACT ON THE MIDDLE EAST,
THE ABRAHAM ACCORDS, ALL OF THE
PROGRESS THAT PRESIDENT TRUMP
AND SECRETARY OF STATE MIKE
POMPEO HAD IN TERMS OF
NORMALIZED RELATIONS WITH
ISRAEL?
>> SOME OF THE DECISIONS AS YOU
POINTED OUT CANCELING THE
KEYSTONE XL PIPELINE AND
AMERICA’S INDEPENDENCE GETS
HARMED BY EXECUTIVE ORDER.
OF COURSE, THERE’S A LOSS OF JOB
WHICH IS HUGELY IMPORTANT AND
TAKE NOTE OF.
LIVES THAT GET IMPACTED
ADVERSELY THAT WAY AND RELIANCE
ON COUNTRIES.
ALSO THE IMPACT OF STOPPING
CONSTRUCTION OF THE BORDER WALL
AND THOSE EXAMPLES WHERE YOU ARE
TALKING ABOUT HOMELAND SECURITY,
YOU’RE TALKING ABOUT DOMESTIC
DECISIONS MADE FOR DOMESTIC
POLITICS, BUT THEY HAVE
IMPLICATIONS ABROAD.
BUT ALSO WITH REGARDS TO WHAT
YOU ASKED, THE PERSONNEL
DECISIONS THAT GET MADE, PUTTING
PEOPLE IN POSITIONS WHO WERE
ARCHITECTS OF THE IRAN NUCLEAR
DEAL, PEOPLE WHO MAY BE TRIPPING
OVER THEMSELVES TO BE ENTERING
AS IS OR HAVE PROPALESTINIANS
LEANINGS, ANTIISRAEL FEELINGS
WHERE ONCE AGAIN WHERE THE OBAMA
ADMINISTRATION WAS DOING, START
TREATING ISRAEL LIKE IRAN AND
IRAN ISRAEL.
WE WILL SEE WHERE IT GOES FROM
HERE.
MARIA: YOU’RE A VETERAN.
YOU WERE IN THE RESERVES.
I WANT TO ASK YOU ABOUT THE
NATIONAL GUARD.
WE ARE GOING TO HAVE PERMANENT
SECURITY FENCING AROUND THE U.S.
CAPITOL.
SO THIS WHOLE IDEA OF DOMESTIC
TERRORISTS WHICH DEVIN NUNES AND
KASH PATEL JUST MENTIONED FEELS
REAL WHEN YOU’VE GOT BARBED WIRE
AND THE NATIONAL GUARD
PROTECTING THE CAPITOL.
AND THIS IS GOING TO GO ON UNTIL
MARCH, MID-MARCH.
>> AT THIS POINT, IT FEELS LIKE
IT’S ABOUT PROPS, POLITICS AND
POWER.
THERE’S A NARRATIVE THAT
DEMOCRATS WANT TO PUSH ABOUT
JANUARY 6TH AND IT REPRESENTING
75 MILLION VOTERS OF DONALD
TRUMP.
WHAT HAPPENED INSIDE OF THE
CAPITOL, YOU SEE DEMOCRATS
TRYING TO LEVERAGE THAT TO BE
REPRESENTATIVE OF SOMETHING MUCH
GREATER THAN THAT.
THIS IS THE SAME PARTY THAT TWO
-- EVERY TWO YEARS WHEN THERE’S
HOUSE RACES, THEY WILL CALL
OPPONENTS WHITE SUPREMACISTS,
EXTREMISTS, NAZIS.
THEY HAVE NO PROBLEM WITH THAT
LABELING AND HERE THEY WANT
PEOPLE TO ASK THEMSELVES WHY IS
THERE STILL BARBED WIRE AROUND
THE CAPITOL, THEY SAY, WELL, LET
ME TELL YOU ABOUT ALL THE PEOPLE
THAT VOTED FOR DONALD TRUMP AND
WHAT HAPPENED INSIDE THE CAPITOL
ON JANUARY 6TH.
THAT’S WHAT I THINK IT’S ABOUT.
MARIA: YEAH.
BY THE WAY, THERE ARE NO TERM
LIMITS FOR GOVERNOR CUOMO.
IF HE DOESN’T TAKE THE AG JOB,
HE’S ON THE SHORT LIST, WE KNOW
THAT.
WHAT ABOUT HIM AS GOVERNOR,
THERE ARE NO TERM LIMITS?
>> I THINK THAT MUCH OF NEW YORK
STATE IS DONE WITH ANDREW CUOMO
AND HE’S UP FOR REELECTION IN
2022.
WE DON’T HAVE TERM LIMITS IN NEW
YORK STATUTORILY, HOWEVER, WE DO
HAVE TERM LIMITS WHEN NEW
YORKERS GO TO THE BALLOT BOX,
THEY DON’T HAVE TO KEEP
REELECTING HIM.
THIS IS SOMEONE WHO WILL BE
GOING FOR HIS FOURTH TERM AND
THERE’S A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF
ARROGANCE AS IF HIS TOUGH WORK
IS DONE.
NOW IT’S ABOUT COLLECTING EMMYS
AND WRITING BOOKS.
HE’S NOT TALKING ABOUT RESTORING
FREEDOMS, HE’S NOT TALKING ABOUT
CUTTING TAXES, HE’S NOT TALKING
ABOUT PUBLIC SAFETY.
UNLESS, DEFUND THE POLICE.
HOPEFULLY THEY TAKE ACTION AND
SAVE THE STATE IN 2022.
MARIA: THEY ARE TALKING ABOUT
GETTING THE SALT DEDUCTION BACK
IN PLACE.
CHUCK SCHUMER MAKING THAT
OFFICIAL LAST WEEK, RIGHT?
REAL QUICK, WE HAVE TO JUMP,
CONGRESSMAN.
>> YEAH, WE HAVE TO KEEP IN MIND
THAT THE SALT DEDUCTION, SALT
STANDS FOR STATE AND LOCAL
TAXES.
ANDREW CUOMO LIKES TO TALK ABOUT
THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT FULLY
RESTORING THE SALT DEDUCTION,
THAT’S FINE.
THAT WOULD HELP MY CONSTITUENTS
IN MANY RESPECTS BUT HE NEEDS TO
DO HIS PART BECAUSE THE REASON
OUR DEDUCTION WAS SO HIGH
BECAUSE STATE AND LOCAL TAXES
ARE SO HIGH.
ONCE AGAIN, ANDREW CUOMO WANTING
TO BLAME THE FEDS FOR SOMETHING