Andrew Cuomo lied, and lots of people died. Now that one of the top aides to the governor has admitted to covering up and lying about the scope of Cuomo’s order that sent sick seniors back into nursing homes, Politico reports that Cuomo’s political career might already be on life support. Republicans in New York have begun demanding that the state legislature impeach and remove Cuomo over the deadly scandal, if he refuses to resign first.

Well, first they “pounced,” of course:

New York Republicans assailed Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s administration on Thursday night in response to new revelations about his stonewalling the release of information about nursing home deaths, with several calling for him to resign or be impeached. …

Nearly every top Republican in the state pounced on the Post’s report, subjecting Cuomo to a barrage of criticism arguably unparalleled at any point during his decade in office.

“For over six months, day after day, in briefing after briefing, Governor Cuomo stood before New Yorkers and lied about his directive that contributed to the deaths of thousands of seniors,” said Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro, Cuomo’s 2018 challenger. “In the coming days he will cynically try to convince us that it was for our own good — that it was someone else’s fault. This is another lie. What is true, is Andrew Cuomo has proved himself unworthy of our trust, and unfit for public office.”

“Prosecution and impeachment discussions must begin right away,” state GOP Chair Nick Langworthy said. “If the Governor is involved, he should be immediately removed from office,” said state Senate Minority Leader Rob Ortt. And Rep. Tom Reed (R-N.Y.) called for other members of Congress to call for “an independent and thorough investigation by the Biden Department of Justice into Governor Cuomo and New York State.”

I don’t think the issue here is all of the Republican “pouncing.” The issue here is all of the media fluffing on Cuomo’s behalf that took place between the start of the crisis and sometime after Hollywood gave the Love Guv an Emmy for holding pressers. The nursing-home scandal started emerging in May, and yet media outlets across the country treated Cuomo like a hero despite having the worst state record for COVID-19 response in the nation. And the only reason they did that was because the media wanted an anti-Trump, and Joe Biden didn’t fit the bill.

Now New York Democrats might get hoist on the same petard. They’re backing impeachment and removal of Trump in part over the lives lost in the Capitol riot and his alleged incitement to foment it. Cuomo’s order to send sick seniors back into nursing homes directly contributed to thousands of excess deaths in those facilities, on top of which the administration has flat-out lied about their actions and the scope of them ever since. How do Democrats in the Empire State argue against impeachment and removal in Cuomo’s case, especially given the huge death toll that resulted from his order and the lies to cover it up after demanding Trump’s disqualification?

Janice Dean lost her in-laws thanks to Cuomo’s policy, and spent months trying to get the media to demand answers from his administration. They mostly just stood by while Cuomo’s staff either ignored her or flat-out belittled her. She’s getting vindication now, but one has to wonder whether the media will ever move past the “Republicans pounce!” stage of reporting and get to the “Cuomo lied, thousands died” stage.

Turns out I might just be a credible source on many things. Including the weather. https://t.co/GcidfgPMFX

— Janice Dean (@JaniceDean) February 12, 2021