A Justice Department watchdog report on leaks to the media about federal investigations into pandemic-related nursing home deaths in New York and New Jersey said the disclosures were aimed at influencing the 2020 election. Inspector General Michael Horowitz found that the leaks were orchestrated by senior DOJ officials and violated department policies governing interactions with the press about ongoing investigations. DOJ’s investigations, which proved embarrassing for New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, came as then-President Trump attacked Democratic governors over their handling of the pandemic as his own poll numbers plummeted, reports Politico. “Emails among senior officials expressing urgency about the Department’s actions from June through October 2020 and related direction from those officials to career personnel…suggest that the then upcoming 2020 election may have been a factor in the timing and manner of these actions and announcing them to the public,” the IG report said.
Oon Oct. 17, 2020, a DOJ official wrote: “I’m trying to get [the Civil Rights Division] and [Civil Division] to do letters to [New York/New Jersey] respectively on nursing homes. Would like to package them together and let [New York Post] break it. Will be our last play on them before election but it’s a big one.” DOJ informed the newspaper about the demands for information on nursing home deaths before officials in New York or New Jersey were aware of the requests. Horowitz said DOJ actions that appeared intended to affect the election may have violated the Hatch Act and he referred the issue to a separate agency that investigates such violations. Attorney General William Barr and Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Eric Drieband are named as involved in discussions about the investigations. Aides to Cuomo said the report vindicated their claims that DOJ targeted the then-governor for political reasons. Trump was sharply critical of Cuomo’s handling of the pandemic and repeatedly blamed him for nursing home deaths. “Governors [sic] Andrew Cuomo of New York has the worst record on death and China Virus. 11,000 people alone died in Nursing Homes because of his incompetence!” Trump said in September 2020.
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