Ian Patrick, FISM News
The Justice Department on Friday announced that there will not be civil investigations into nursing home deaths in New York, Pennsylvania, and Michigan.
The DOJ made this announcement in a letter to House Minority Whip Steve Scalise (R-LA) and other lawmakers.
A terrible day for thousands of families. In a letter to @SteveScalise, @TheJusticeDept wrote that they were dropping the nursing home investigations in all states including New York. There will be no justice for our loved ones, and it feels like we’ve lost them all over again. pic.twitter.com/DV7uNRMr9D
— Janice Dean (@JaniceDean) July 23, 2021
The letter said that information was requested back on August 26, 2020 regarding the nursing home deaths, and after a review they found no reason to investigate.
Each state provided information in response to the request. We have reviewed the information provided by these states along with additional information available to the Department. Based on that review, we have decided not to open a CRIPA [Civil Rights of Institutionalized Persons Act] investigation of any public nursing facility within New York, Pennsylvania, or Michigan at this time.
While the letter specifically names three states that are not under investigation, New Jersey was not on the list. Since it was one of the states in the original inquiry, the state and its governor Phil Murphy still face investigation. Furthermore, the governors from New York and Michigan are facing separate investigations.
Andrew Cuomo, governor of New York, is under investigation by the Attorney General of the state for misuse of power. There is reportedly another criminal investigation involving the FBI concerning Cuomo as well.
Michigan Governor Michelle Whitmer, meanwhile, is facing a probe from the state’s auditor general.
Led by Democratic governors, each state had similar policies which admitted patients into nursing homes even if they had tested positive for COVID-19, which allegedly led to increased rates of death among the older population. The Trump Justice Department previously requested data on whether these policies resulted in the deaths of nursing home residents.
Some Congressional Republicans responded with ire to the decision. Rep. Scalise said that the DOJ is “complicit in these Democrat governors’ cover ups.” He also said the families who had lost loved ones in these nursing homes “deserve better.”
House Republican Conference Chair Elise Stefanik (R-NY) shared similar concerns saying, “This decision from President Biden’s Department of Justice makes President Biden complicit in the criminal corruption scandal and coverup of deaths of thousands of vulnerable seniors.”