Concha: Media coverage of New York nursing home deaths would be 'triple' if governor was Republican

Cuomo's handling of pandemic under renewed focus after state AG report

The federal government and especially the media would have been all over the New York nursing home coronavirus-related deaths if the governor were a Republican, Fox News contributor Joe Concha said on Friday.

"The fun game that you can play here is that let's say this was instead of Andrew Cuomo, governor Democrat, New York, if it was Ron DeSantis, Republican, Florida. I have a feeling those numbers would be double and triple of what we're seeing in terms of coverage," Concha told "America's Newsroom."

CUOMO SAYS ‘EVERYBODY DID THE BEST THEY COULD’ ON NURSING HOME DEATHS, WHITE HOUSE AVOIDS PROBE QUESTION

Concha referred to Psaki on Friday sidestepping questions over whether President Biden would support a federal investigation into nursing home COVID-19 deaths in New York, after the state’s attorney general said this week that they were undercounted by as much as 50%.

And New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, taking questions from reporters Friday a day after the release of the report on nursing home deaths, defended himself and said, "Everybody did the best they could."

Psaki was asked Friday whether the White House would support a federal probe, but said all questions about investigations should be asked of the Justice Department.

"Any investigation would be led by the Justice Department," Psaki said, without answering the question. Concha said Psaki essentially "punted" on the issue. 

Cuomo last year directed nursing homes in the state to accept patients who had or were suspected of having COVID-19. The decision created an onslaught of COVID-19 cases that infected thousands of elderly patients and resulted in hundreds of deaths among the state's most vulnerable population. 

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Concha raised the question over whether President Biden will probe Cuomo for the underreporting of nursing home deaths, recalling that Cuomo was on Biden’s shortlist for attorney general.

"Will President Biden pick up the phone and talk to Andrew Cuomo and say 'what exactly happened here and what are we going to do about this?' Because at this point, Andrew Cuomo can’t say, you know what, this is Trump's fault. This isn't a Trump thing anymore because this is a New York investigation into the actions of a New York governor," Concha said.

"And I have a feeling now, guys, that in 2022 he may not run for governor because this is something that is now on the front page of The New York Times. This is something he can't run from anymore and say that's a conservative media thing."

Fox News' Brooke Singman contributed to this report.

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