WASHINGTON — The Justice Department is conducting a criminal investigation into former Gov.Andrew Cuomo, a leading contender in the New York City mayoral race, overhis testimony to Congresslast year, according to a person familiar with the matter. House Republicans had requested a federal investigation into Cuomo, a Democrat, arguing he lied to the House Oversight Committee last year 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 when he was governor. A Justice Department spokesperson declined to comment Tuesday night. The New York Timesfirst reportedon 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. Follow live politics coverage here The U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia launched the probe before former Fox News host Jeanine Pirro replaced Ed Martin as interim U.S. attorney, according to the person familiar with the matter. Martin, who revealed on his last day in office that he isfacing an investigation by Washington'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 Justice Department protocol. Early in Trump's second term,several Justice Department officials resignedover the handling of a federal case against New York Mayor Eric Adams, a Democrat who is 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 monthpermanently dismissed the chargesagainst Adams, saying potential future charges couldn't be used as "leverage" over him.
