IT IS BACK ONLINE.
FIRST LET’S GET TO OUR TOP
STORY.
NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY
REPUBLICAN LEADER BARKLEY
CALLED THE CUOMO CONTROVERSY
ONE OF THE MOST ALARMING
SCANDALS WE’VE SEEN IN STATE
GOVERNMENT.
HE JOINS ME NOW.
ASSEMBLYMAN, YOU KNOW, I’M SO
CURIOUS ABOUT WHAT THE NEXT
STEPS ARE.
HOW CLOSE ARE WE TO SEEING AN
ACTUAL IMPEACHMENT OF THE
GOVERNOR OF NEW YORK?
>> WELL, THAT’S A GOOD QUESTION.
I DON’T KNOW HOW CLOSE WE ARE
TO IMPEACHMENT.
WE’RE CALLING FOR AN
IMPEACHMENT COMMISSION TO BE A
BIPARTISAN COMMISSION MADE UP
OF EIGHT MEMBERS, FOUR
REPUBLICANS, FOUR DEMOCRATS TO
INVESTIGATE IF THERE WERE ANY
CRIMES COMMITTED BY THE
GOVERNOR WITH HIS COVER-UP OF
THE NURSING HOME DEATHS IN NEW
YORK STATE.
THEY WOULD HAVE 60 DAYS TO
INVESTIGATE AND GIVE THE REPORT
TO THE STATE LEGISLATURE AND IF
THERE IS SOMETHING THERE, THE
ASSEMBLY CAN MOVE FOR ARTICLES
OF IMPEACHMENT.
YOU NEED A MAJORITY VOTE TO DO
THAT AND IT WOULD GO TO THE
SENATE FOR A TRIAL WHERE THEY
NEED 2/3 VOTE.
I THINK THERE IS ENOUGH
EVIDENCE TO BEGIN THIS PROCESS.
YOU HAVE THE EASTERN DISTRICT
OF NEW YORK ATTORNEY LOOKING
INTO IT AND THE F.B.I. AND NO
REASON THE STATE LEGISLATURE
CAN’T BEGIN TO LOOK INTO THIS.
>> Harris: YOU SAY YOU HAVE
ENOUGH EVIDENCE.
DO YOU HAVE ENOUGH DEMOCRATS TO
JOIN YOU?
I IMAGINE YOU WOULD NEED THEM.
>> WELL, THAT’S ALWAYS A
CHALLENGE THAT WE HAVE IN NEW
YORK.
AS REPUBLICANS.
WE DON’T SEE THIS AS A PARTISAN
ISSUE.
IN NEW YORK WE HAD 15,000
DEATHS IN NURSING HOMES.
THAT’S MORE DEATHS THAN 40
OTHER STATES HAD IN TOTALITY
BECAUSE OF COVID.
THESE FAMILIES ARE DEMANDING
ANSWERS.
THESE AREN’T CONSTITUENTS OF
JUST REPUBLICANS BUT ALSO
DEMOCRATS.
I DO SEE THERE ARE SOME CRACKS
IN THE WALL AND I DO HOPE THAT
WE CAN HAVE DEMOCRATS JOIN US
ON IT.
WE REALLY SHOULD BE A
BIPARTISAN EFFORT.
>> Harris: IT’S INTERESTING
BECAUSE YOU ARE SEEING SOME
THINGS BURST ON THAT SIDE OF
THE AISLE.
I KNOW THAT’S NOT PART OF THE
FACTS OF THE CASE NECESSARILY
BUT I’M WONDERING WHO KIND OF
FOOD DOES IT PUT ON THE TABLE
FOR AN IMPEACHMENT PUSH TO HEAR
DEMOCRAT LIKE RON KIM SAY HE
WAS BULLIED BY THIS GOVERNOR TO
CHANGE HIS STORY ABOUT WHAT WAS
HAPPENING?
>> DON’T YOU THINK IT’S REALLY
A LOSS OF TRUST BETWEEN THE
EXECUTIVE BRANCH AND THE
LEGISLATURE?
ESPECIALLY WHEN A DEMOCRATIC
MEMBER GETS BULLIED LIKE HE
APPARENTLY OR ALLEGEDLY DID.
IT SHOULD TURN OFF ALL
LEGISLATORS, NOT JUST
REPUBLICANS.
CERTAINLY MY COLLEAGUES ON THE
OTHER SIDE OF THE AISLE, THE
DEMOCRATS.
I WOULD BE OUTRAGED LIKE I AM.
PEOPLE EXPECT ME TO.
IF I WAS A DEMOCRAT AND HAD THE
GOVERNOR TALK TO ONE OF MY
COLLEAGUES THAT WAY I WOULD BE
OUTRAGED, TOO.
IT IS NOT DIRECTLY TIED TO THIS
IMPEACHMENT COMMITTEE BUT IT
ILLUSTRATES THE LACK OF TRUST
AND THE ISSUES THAT THE
GOVERNOR IS NOW HAVING WITH THE
LEGISLATURE.
>> Harris: I WANT TO GET TO
THIS.
"NEW YORK POST" OP-ED SAID YOU
HAVE HEARD THE EXPRESSION THE
COVER-UP IS WORSE THAN THE
CRIME.
IN THE CASE OF GOVERNOR CUOMO
THE OPPOSITE MIGHT BE TRUE.
IMAGINE IF FORMER PRESIDENT
TRUMP HAD DONE WHAT CUOMO DID.
WE WOULD HAVE A THIRD
IMPEACHMENT ON OUR HANDS.
CUOMO’S ACTIONS MERIT HIS
REMOVAL FROM OFFICE NOT JUST
FOR THE COVER-UP BUT FOR THE
ACTIONS HE TOOK THAT IMPEDED
OUR NATIONAL RESPONSE TO THE
WORST PANDEMIC IN AMERICAN
HISTORY.
WHAT IS YOUR RESPONSE TO THAT?
>> WELL, IT’S A LITTLE OF BOTH
OF COURSE.
I THINK WHEN WE START OFF WITH
THE PANDEMIC NO ONE KNEW WHAT
TO EXPECT.
PEOPLE MAKE MISTAKES BECAUSE
WE’VE NEVER BEEN THROUGH THIS
BEFORE.
BUT THIS SEEMS LIKE A PRETTY
BIG MISTAKE.
BY LETTING COVID-INFECTED
PATIENTS BACK INTO NURSING
HOMES LOGICALLY YOU WOULD THINK
IT WOULD SPREAD INFECTIONS
WITHIN THE NURSING HOMES.
AND OBVIOUSLY NUMBERS SEEM TO
BE BEARING THAT OUT.
SO YES, THAT IS A REAL BAD
POLICY DECISION APPARENTLY.
I THINK PEOPLE OUGHT TO BE HELD
ACCOUNTABLE.
BUT ALONG THE SAME RAILS IN THE
DUEL RAILS CERTAINLY THE
COVER-UP IS PROBLEMATIC.
IF THERE IS A COVER-UP IT COULD
BE CRIMINAL.
I THINK IT NEEDS TO BE
INVESTIGATED AND THE FAMILIES
REALLY DEMAND ANSWERS.
THEY WANT ANSWERS.
I THINK THE LEGISLATURE SHOULD
GET ANSWERS IF THERE IS A
COVER-UP AND WHETHER CRIMES
HAVE BEEN COMMITTED AND WHETHER
IT REACHES THE LEVEL OF
IMPEACHMENT.
>> Harris: WILL YOU BE PRESSING
TO LOOK AT ANYTHING OTHER THAN
THE NURSING HOMES AT THIS POINT?
YOU HAVE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT
OFFICIALS INVESTIGATING THE
GOVERNOR AND WHAT HAPPENED
UNDER HIS WATCH WITH THE
NURSING HOME SITUATION.
BUT WILL YOU HAVE BROAD ENOUGH
POWERS FOR LACK OF A BETTER
WORD, SCOPE, TO LOOK AT OTHER
THINGS TO MAKE SURE THAT REALLY
AND TRULY EVERYTHING THAT COULD
HAVE BEEN DONE DURING THE
PANDEMIC WAS DONE?
YOU MENTIONED MISTAKES GET MADE
BUT YOU HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY NOW
TO REALLY TAKE A LOOK AT WHAT
HAPPENED.
>> SO I THINK MAYBE THAT WOULD
BE HANDLED OUTSIDE OF THIS
IMPEACHMENT COMMISSION WE’RE
PROPOSING.
THIS IS REALLY FOCUSED, I
THINK, ON THE ACTUAL COVER-UP
BY THE GOVERNOR.
I DO THINK AN ANALYSIS HOW WE
REACTED TO PANDEMIC IS
NECESSARY.
NEW YORK STATE, BESIDES WHAT
THE GOVERNOR IS SAYING HOW
GREAT LEADERSHIP HE PROVIDED
DURING THIS PANDEMIC WE HAVE
THE SECOND HIGHEST FATALITIES
THAN ANY OTHER STATE IN THE
COUNTRY.
PER CAPITA WE’RE RIGHT UP THERE.
I ANY NEW JERSEY IS AHEAD OF US.
243 DEATHS FOR EVERY 100,000
CASES.
IT PUTS US SO FAR AHEAD OF
OTHER STATES.
I THINK WE NEED TO GO BACK AND
SEE WHAT NEW YORK DID WRONG.
CLEARLY WE’VE DONE SOMETHING
WRONG DURING THIS PANDEMIC TO
HAVE SUCH HIGH NUMBERS.
>> Harris: NEW YORK STATE
ASSEMBLY REPUBLICAN LEADER WILL
BARKLEY.
WONDERFUL TO HAVE YOU ON THE
PROGRAM AS WE NAVIGATE OUR WAY