House Oversight Chairman James Comer on Monday referred former Democratic New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo to the Justice Department for criminal prosecution, after he allegedly made false statements to Congress.

The referral accuses Cuomo of purposely lying to Congress about his handling of the COVID-19 nursing home scandal in his state. The former governor, who led the state during the pandemic, issued a mandate in 2020 that required nursing homes in the state to admit untested or possibly contagious patients. It allegedly resulted in the deaths of over 15,000 people. 

The recommendation also comes after the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic sent a referral to the Justice Department over the same allegations last year. 

“Andrew Cuomo is a man with a history of corruption and deceit, now caught red-handed lying to Congress during the Select Subcommittee’s investigation into the COVID-19 nursing home tragedy in New York," Comer said in a statement on Monday. 

"This wasn’t a slip-up—it was a calculated cover-up by a man seeking to shield himself from responsibility for the devastating loss of life in New York’s nursing homes," he continued. "Let’s be clear: lying to Congress is a federal crime. Mr. Cuomo must be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law."

The recommendation specifically refers to a New York State Department of Health report that Cuomo claimed he had not reviewed. However, the House investigation alleges that the former governor "reviewed, edited, and even drafted portions" of the report. 

Cuomo has denied the allegations that he intentionally lied to Congress about the nursing home controversy, and the former governor's spokesperson previously stated that the New Yorker testified that he did not remember having a role in the report.

Criminal referrals do not carry any legal weight, and it is now up to Attorney General Pam Bondi as to whether the DOJ prosecutes.

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just the News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.