Executive With Ties to Cuomo Got Special Access to Virus Testing

[iemanja]

A drug company president who has long been close to the governor received the early tests, as did his family. The impeachment inquiry will examine testing provided to the Cuomo family.

The president of Regeneron, a pharmaceutical company with longstanding ties to Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, received special access to coronavirus testing last year as the first wave of the pandemic tore through New York and tests were severely limited.

The company requested tests from the state for its president, Dr. George Yancopoulos, and his family after a “member of his household became infected with Covid-19,” a company spokeswoman said. State officials granted the request and tested the family at home in March.
. . .

On April 1, Governor Cuomo then announced that Regeneron would create 500,000 kits for testing samples and provide them free of charge to New York State. The company, which would eventually become a critical player in the efforts to lower the risk of hospitalization and death among high-risk Covid-19 patients, said Dr. Yancopoulos was not involved in the donation of the kits.

The unusual and preferential treatment granted to Dr. Yancopoulos was also extended to Mr. Cuomo’s relatives, including his mother, Matilda Cuomo, and brother, the CNN anchor Chris Cuomo, and at least one of his sisters, as well as other influential people, according to people with direct knowledge of the effort.

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/25/nyregion/governor-cuomo-coronavirus-testing.html

[LizBeth]

1. I am so damn tired of the rich and privileged at all our expense regardless who side

they are on. Integrity just is not that hard.

[tulipsandroses]

2. State officials granted the request and tested the family at home in March.

Tested them at home? State Officials??
Were they on the clock?

[iemanja]

3. I would assume so

[iemanja]

4. Here

The samples of those given preferred access were taken at home, in some cases by top Health Department officials, and rushed by state troopers to Wadsworth Center, the state-run lab in Albany, where staff were instructed to process the tests immediately, according to two people with knowledge of the effort. Results came back in hours.

[uponit7771]

5. Really?!?! So the shoulder touching didn't work now this shit?!?!

Cuomo must have really pissed someone off

[iemanja]

6. It's amazing how everyone in the word is a liar

except for Cuomo. Such a familiar tune.
How dare anyone object to favoritism toward the corporate elite.

[caber09]

7. Please stop posting garbage stories

What's next? He speaks with NY accent? Just stop this nonsense and playing into all these overreaches...wow the gov, his families and state officials got tested and participated in contact tracing...you know kinda like he was preaching from every daily press conference?

[iemanja]

9. This is the paper of record

and the first story about Cuomo that I have posted. But please, do write the NY Times and tell them to censor the news because you don't like what is says. They all can't live up to the high journalistic standards of the NY Post.

This isn't about state officials, other than they were the ones ordered to cater to the corporate elite, a one percenter, whose corporation has a long history with the Cuomo family. If you actually read the article, you could see what it's about. I for one am not a fan of corporate privilege. I'm sorry you insist news of it be hidden from the public. I won't be obliging your demands for censorship.

[caber09]

12. You are obsessed find something else to harp on

I'm curious are you even from New York? Who cares if it's the nyt...didn't they just have articles saying trump was just as responsible for the vaccine rollout as Biden? You gonna tell EE that's true? No one is perfect not even the nyt..Come on..just bec the nyt says so doesn't make it so...remember how they loved the Iraq war? They can be wrong too...keep digging this is another nothing burger

[iemanja]

16. Everyone is a liar

except Cuomo. Sounds so familiar.

[caber09]

22. Everyone is a liar? Let them go under oath first

[iemanja]

25. They no doubt will

When will Cuomo go under oath?

[caber09]

8. These people are obsessed over nothing burgers

[iemanja]

10. Truthfully

I'm "obsessed" with abuse of women. That Cuomo has abused his power in other ways--including favoritism to a 1 percenter-- is consistent with his treatment of women.

[caber09]

11. Are you from NY?

[iemanja]

14. No

And I can't imagine my governor, Tim Walz, doing anything that Cuomo has been accused of. Not being Minnesotans certainly hasn't stopped people from around the country holding opinions about Al Franken, something you yourself have shared.

What bothers me most is how Democrats from across the country are so eager to demonize women and support men accused of sexual harassment or assault. It extends beyond Democratic officials to random celebrities, like Woody Allen, who is accused by his daughter of molesting her when she was a tiny child. I have a vested interested in a world in which men do not operate with such impunity. I am a member of a party in which the great majority of voters are women, and I object to efforts by some to ensure men of power face no consequences for their actions. I oppose male supremacy and the abuse of power.

I also recall that a certain female presidential candidate was assassinated on this board for having given speeches to corporations, when there was no evidence she granted any of them favors. Now that a man grants one or more corporate elites favors, he is defended at all costs. The double standard couldn't be clearer.

I am particularly disturbed that Cuomo's popularity among some has dramatically increased because women have accused him of abuse. I deplore the trivialization of those actions, and I believe the entire posture entirely inconsistent with the values of equality that are supposed to play some role in the Democratic Party.
For some, being a Democrat means giving male Democrats a pass for any behavior. For me, being a Democrat means believing in something, not the tribal D after a man's name, not power and privilege, but equality.

[caber09]

20. I am actually from NY, born and bred..

No need to toss the governor who led us in ny out of the abyss without an investigation especially when some of the allegations are iffy at best. Yes franken got screwed that's the opinion of most democrats..glad my governor hasn't let that happen..just like your gov didn't let trump boss him around after the Floyd murder. Funny that you assume guilt before the investigation is complete, despite some of the women not willing to fully cooperate or speak under oath yet...don't worry though boylan and Bennett are talking to everyone else...and boylan is creating a PAC to go after other dems including Biden and Harris...not sure you won't let the investigation play out yet you give a pass to boylan who has a record of harassing and bullying her coworkers

[iemanja]

23. You've pronounced guilt against the women

I don't happen to believe that everyone is a liar except Cuomo. I see nothing in Cuomo's behavior that is inconsistent with the charges. This article shows one such example. Nor is there any sign of a political conspiracy. The women are former/current Democratic aids, and his replacement would also be a Democrat. The politics is an excuse. The same was true of Franken, who chose to resign and was replaced by a very able Democrat who has since won re-election.

I care less about Cuomo than the continual defenses of men in power who engage in sexual harassment and abuse. Cuomo is simply the latest. They are defended to the end. They don't have to be politicians either. Woody Allen, Bill Cosby, high school athletes, essentially any sexual predator is defended. The question is why. Why are some so invested in maintaining such a culture? The comments belittling the allegations of the women who have accused Cuomo show exactly that.

As I said, I believe in equality. You believe in the word of one man over 8 women and other witnesses. I don't believe in a hierarchy where one man is worth more than 8 women.

[caber09]

26. Comparing cuomo to bill cosby?

Wow not even any of his accusers are accusing him of anything nearly as terrible as what Cosby did...what is wrong with you? Nothing thus far including these 8 women are saying anything in the ballpark like Cosby did...I would never in a million years defend Cosby...you just lost all credibility on this issue even more so then not knowing about boylans past history of being a bully and harassing coworkers...you seem to have a "doing research" problem if it doesn't fit your agenda...actually what I've said consistently is let the investigation play out...you are the one who has already assigned guilt with this long rambling paragraph condemning cuomo before the investigation is complete...do you have zero faith in the NY AG?

PS you keep mentioning charges...what charges? No one has filed any charges or police reports..what charges are you talking about against cuomo?

[iemanja]

27. I did not compare Cuomo to Cosby

I compared the defenses of them. Many people defended Cosby for years. They still defend Woody Allen. My point is that the defenses of all these men are the same, and that disturbs me.

Where you believe I have credibility is inconsequential to me.

You still haven't answered when Cuomo will go under oath. You've assailed the women because they haven't yet been sworn under oath. How about Cuomo?

[caber09]

30. Let them press charges and force him under oath, go for it...

They seem awfully eager to talk to papers, trashy tabloids, Twitter, other social media and rallies, plus boylan is raising money against democrats and bashes Biden/Harris...I guess you are fine with all that

[iemanja]

31. So you smear the women with claims they won't go under oath

Yet you hold Cuomo to no such standard.
That says everything.

[caber09]

13. So you are obsessed with abuse?

Then demand boylan quit her Manhattan boro president race since she bullied and harassed her coworkers...can you agree she should walk away?

[iemanja]

15. I'm not familiar with the case

I would have to know more before saying.

[caber09]

17. Well you exposed yourself as a hypocrite

Another poster who calls for cuomos head but won't call for hers...she was cited by coworkers for bullying and harassing them. So much for being obsessed with abuse you didn't bother looking into the abusive background of the initial cuomo accuser

[iemanja]

18. No, what I said is I don't know about the case

and your word isn't enough to go on.

Do you recall when similar charges emerged against Amy Klobuchar? I was very concerned by them.

And BTW, I never called for Cuomo to resign. What I have said is that I believe the women.

[caber09]

21. My word isn't enough to go on? It's in boylan personnel files lol

Again exposing yourself, like I said what's the next nyt story..he waved at someone, he speaks with a New York accent? I bet you didn't care when the reporters asked him personnel questions about his dating life,who he is spending Valentine's Day with, is he lonely...does he like attention from the "cuomosexuals" that followed him...these were all questions by reporters...at covid press conferences...guess that was appropriate though huh

[iemanja]

24. All I know about you

is what you have said about the women who have accused Cuomo. You have relied on Rupert Murdoch's paper to engage in those smears. I can only judge people based on what I see. So no, your word isn't sufficient. But no worries. I wont' be voting her in as Manhattan borough president.

I don't follow the news conferences like you do. It seems that NY is particularly overridden by tabloid news and reporters. Perhaps that's because people give money to such tabloids, like the NYPost. Most cities couldn't sustain a trash rag as a daily paper, but NY does.

You're comfortable with favors to the wealthy. You consider that the same as speaking in a NY accent. That's your prerogative. I disagree.

[iemanja]

29. When will Cuomo go under oath?

[caber09]

32. I have no problem with him going under oath, press charges first

Press charges, file police reports, testify under oath they haven't gone that extra mile...the accuser who said he groped her won't file a report and is refusing to speak with Albany police why is that? Why did Hinton an outspoken sexual harassment activist go back to work for cuomo years after their hugging incident? Why did boylan tweet "so proud to work for a governor that takes women seriously" in Aug 2018 after years of alleged harrasment? Why does Ana Liss have a framed picture of her and cuomo in her office? Did you know any of this or no interest, didn't pay attention, didn't do research?

[iemanja]

34. Now you want Cuomo in jail?

You want to take what is currently a workplace dispute and elevate it to a crime?
Or is that just the latest excuse to cover up your double standard? Do you know how hard it is to get a conviction on sexual assault? 98% of rapists in this country go free. How seriously do you think they will take a groping incident? I wouldn't go to the police in such circumstances. It would be a fucking pain in the ass that would amount to nothing. Even rapists whose crimes are filmed on camera get off. That is the nature of the culture we live in.

You don't really want criminal charges filed against Cuomo. You want a cheap excuse to smear his accusers. You insist they should go under oath but that Cuomo doesn't need to. It's a glaring double standard.

Why do women continue to work after being harassed? It happens all over the place. They need the job. They need to pay the rent and put food on the table. There is nothing unusual about that. That has been the daily experience of women at work for decades in this country and it is that which Me Too is seeking to change, and it infuriates you.

Your enduring admiration for Cuomo is noted. I do not share it. You can continue to scream until you're hoarse, and that won't make me admire a man who is accused by 8 women of sexual harassment. That is my right. You are obviously furious that you can't control my mind. Deal with it.

I'm done here.

[greenjar_01]

19. The frustration mounts

[uponit7771]

33. +1