New York Gov. Cuomo casts doubts on potential COVID vaccine



New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) on Monday said he is not confident in the Food and Drug Administration's approval process for a potential COVID-19 vaccine or in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Speaking with ABC News chief anchor George Stephanopoulos, Cuomo added that he believes the American people share his skepticism of any vaccine approved under President Donald Trump and that people should be skeptical.

"I'm not that confident, but my opinion doesn't matter. I don't believe the American people are that confident," Cuomo said. "You're going to say to the American people now, 'Here's a vaccine, it was new, it was done quickly, but trust this federal administration and their health administration that it's safe'? We're not 100 percent sure of the consequences? I think it's going to be a very skeptical American public about taking the vaccine, and they should be!"

Cuomo indicated that he would not approve distribution of a vaccine until his own state agencies and medical experts reviewed it first.

"What I said I'm going to do in New York is we're going to put together our own group of doctors and medical experts to review the vaccine and the efficacy and the protocol, and if they say it's safe, then I'll go to the people of New York and I will say it's safe, with that credibility. But I believe all across the country, you're going to need someone other than this FDA and this CDC saying it's safe," Cuomo said.

Watch:

"I think it's going to be a very skeptical American public about taking the vaccine, and they should be." New Yor… https://t.co/HYfsNImcdJ
— ABC News (@ABC News)1603110185.0

Cuomo charged that the FDA and CDC under Trump's leadership "doesn't have any credibility." He brought up comments from Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, in which Fauci said the administration had restricted his media appearances.

"You have Doctor Fauci now saying they basically tried to muzzle him," Cuomo said. "He has the highest credibility in the nation on this issue."

Cuomo also questioned the Trump administration's preparedness to administer a vaccine to millions of Americans, criticizing how the federal government responded to the coronavirus last January and February, saying "it's going to be a debacle."

While criticizing the Trump administration, Cuomo did not acknowledge the criticisms leveled at his state government over New York's response to the coronavirus.

Last March, Cuomo issued an executive order that required nursing homes to accept COVID-positive patients returning from New York Hospitals into their facilities to prevent hospitals from being overwhelmed and all of the beds occupied. This executive decision led to thousands of elderly New Yorkers dying as coronavirus ran rampant in nursing homes.

Cuomo has so far refused to take responsibility for the consequences of his executive order, blaming Republicans and the New York Post for his failures.

(H/T: National Review)

Biden town hall featured voters with undisclosed Democratic ties, ABC News silent on growing criticism



ABC News has refused to address criticism surrounding their town hall with Democratic nominee Joe Biden on Thursday after two of the voters who asked Biden questions had undisclosed connections to Democrats.

What are the details?

One of the questioners, Nathan Osburn, was introduced by town hall moderator George Stephanopolous as a "Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Democrat" and identified as a "communications" professional, according to the New York Post.

As it turns out, Osburn's communications background includes working for the Obama-Biden campaign in 2008. Osburn also worked as a speechwriter in the Obama administration for more than five years, including stints at the Small Business Administration and Department of Commerce.

Osburn now works at Google, according to his LinkedIn page.

Meanwhile, another questioner, Mieke Haeck, was identified by ABC News as a physical therapist from Pennsylvania. As it turns out, Haeck is "the wife of a prominent Pennsylvania Democrat," Fox News reported.

From Fox News:

Haeck is also the wife of Ezra Nanes, who in 2018 ran for Pennsylvania state Senate Republican Majority Leader Jake Corman. Nanes is currently an at-large member of the Centre County Democratic Committee.

Nanes praised his wife's appearance at the town hall on Twitter. "Our children and I are so proud of our @MiekeHaeck for her courage in asking this question of @JoeBiden and so grateful to our next President for his caring and decisive answer in support of transgender and all LGBTQ people," Nanes wrote

How did ABC News respond?

According to Fox News, the news network is staying silence amid growing criticism, only pointing toward comments from Stephanopoulos at the town hall's opening.

"Some are voting for [Biden], some have said they're voting for President Trump, some are still undecided, and we're going to try to take questions from as many as we can tonight," Stephanopoulos said.

Anything else?

The controversy comes after ABC News hosted a town hall with President Donald Trump last month in which the network presented those who would ask Trump questions as "uncommitted voters."

However, one of the questioners had committed on social media to volunteer for Sen. Kamala Harris during the Democratic primary last year. The voter was a self-described "liberal Democrat" and repeatedly bashed Trump on social media, the Washington Free Beacon reported.

Meanwhile, another alleged "uncommitted voter" who asked Trump a question tweeted just weeks before the town hall that he's "never once supported trump and won't now."

ABC News also dodged questions about the partisanship of those questioners, telling the Free Beacon that the voters "all identified to [the network] as uncommitted."