Peter & Danny Arbeeny, Leading Advocates for Nursing Home Victims, Endorse Lander for Mayor
Peter Arbeeny: When no one else would listen, Brad was the one public official who fought alongside us to expose Cuomo’s lies & get accountability for grieving New Yorkers
Arbeeny family has sought apology from Cuomo for over 5 years, after their father, Norman, tragically passed after Cuomo sent COVID patients into nursing homes
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NEW YORK, NY — Today, outside Cobble Hill Nursing Home, Peter and Daniel Arbeeny – whose father, Norman, died as a result of disgraced ex-governor Andrew Cuomo’s fatal order forcing COVID patients into nursing homes – endorsed Brad Lander #1 for Mayor. The Arbeenys have been leading advocates on behalf of the many grieving New Yorkers and families who lost loved ones in nursing homes after Cuomo’s disastrous directive.
“It is my pleasure to endorse Brad, because he endorsed our family,” said Peter Arbeeny, son of Norman Arbeeny – who tragically passed in a nursing home during COVID. “Five years ago, when no one else would listen or stand up for us, Brad Lander was the one public official who fought alongside us to expose Andrew Cuomo‘s lies, and get accountability for our father and so many grieving New Yorkers. Brad is both decent and tough, exactly what we need in a Mayor.”
“I have so much admiration for Peter and Daniel Arbeeny, who have bravely sought accountability from disgraced ex-governor Andrew Cuomo for five years, and are still fighting to honor the legacy of their father, Norman. I’m deeply touched to receive their endorsement today,” said Brad Lander. “I remember standing with the Arbeeny’s five years ago when Cuomo evaded them, and now, little has changed. At last week’s debate, when I asked him to finally take an opportunity to apologize to Peter Arbeeny, Cuomo cruelly laughed in his face. Luckily, his cowardice and cruelty will never be anywhere near City Hall.”
Cuomo has spent the last five years denying his failed record, and dodging the Arbeeny family. Lander was the first and only elected official to stand with them in 2020.
On March 25 of that year, Cuomo made the deadly decision to order the state to defy federal guidelines and force nursing homes to accept COVID-positive patients. Cuomo’s nursing home order tragically led to the deaths of thousands of New Yorkers. Instead of issuing apologies to the grieving families, Cuomo doubled down and continues to claim no wrongdoing.
Cuomo last week when pressed, admitted under questioning that he personally edited a New York State Department of Health report to undercount the number of COVID deaths in nursing homes as a result of his order – to protect his reputation.
Thursday night, Lander brought Peter Arbeeny as his guest to the second official mayoral debate and pressed Cuomo, “Tonight, will you finally apologize to Peter and other grieving New Yorkers? Or will you just keep gaslighting them with more blather about what a great job you claim you did?”
In response, Cuomo gave a word salad defending his performance, despite the thousands of deaths to New Yorkers in nursing homes as a result of his order, and the fact that he’s accused of perjury for lying to Congress after changing a health report listing the number of deaths.
“When he chuckled in my face, I was insulted. When he refused to apologize, I was insulted. If Andrew cannot apologize to me, a Democrat who voted for him, who will he ever apologize to?”
In response, Lander said the city health department should probe whether Cuomo’s nursing home order violated federal guidelines.
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