WASHINGTON — The Justice Department is conducting a criminal investigation into former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a leading contender in the New York City mayoral race, over testimony he gave to Congress last year, according to a person familiar with the matter.
House Republicans had requested a federal investigation into Cuomo, arguing the New York Democrat lied to the House Oversight Committee in 2024 when he said he had not been involved in reviewing a report from the New York Department of Health about the state’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic from when he was governor.
A Justice Department spokesperson declined to comment Tuesday night. The New York Times first reported on the investigation.
Rich Azzopardi, a spokesperson for Cuomo, questioned the timing of the news.
“We have never been informed of any such matter, so why would someone leak it now? The answer is obvious: This is lawfare and election interference plain and simple—something President Trump and his top Department of Justice officials say they are against,” Azzopardi said in a statement.
He also defended Cuomo’s congressional testimony.
“Governor Cuomo testified truthfully to the best of his recollection about events from four years earlier, and he offered to address any follow-up questions from the Subcommittee — but from the beginning this was all transparently political,” Azzopardi said.
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The probe was launched by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia before Ed Martin was replaced as interim attorney by former Fox News host Jeanine Pirro, according to the person familiar with the matter.
Martin, who revealed on his last day in office that he is facing an investigation by D.C.’s Office of Disciplinary Counsel, said last week that he planned to “shame” people who the Justice Department didn’t charge with crimes — a major departure from DOJ protocol.
Early in Trump’s second term, several Justice Department officials resigned over the handling of a federal case against New York City Mayor Eric Adams, a Democrat who is now seeking re-election as an independent.
Trump administration officials wanted the corruption case against Adams dropped after he began cooperating with the Trump administration on immigration enforcement. Then-Acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove said the criminal investigation was hampering Adams’ ability to tackle “illegal immigration and violent crime.”
A federal judge last month permanently dismissed the charges against Adams, saying potential future charges couldn’t be used as “leverage” over him.
Jonathan Dienst contributed.
