Cuomo caught in hidden camera sting. Senior NY health lawyer says he was blackmailed into signing nursing home law.

The camera was hidden. The admission was not. A senior attorney inside New York’s Department of Health was recorded saying former Governor Andrew Cuomo was “forced” into signing a nursing home law during the height of his political collapse. The reason, according to the official? Blackmail tied to sexual misconduct allegations. The footage was released June 23 by O’Keefe Media Group. The lawyer’s name is Jacob Wilkinson. His words were blunt. “He kind of was,” Wilkinson said when asked if Cuomo had been blackmailed. “He didn’t give them what they wanted. That’s why they exposed him.”

CAUGHT ON HIDDEN CAMERA: NY State Senior Health Department Lawyer Claims Governor Andrew Cuomo Was “Forced” Into Signing Nursing Home Law After Sexual Misconduct “Blackmail”

“It was written so poorly, we [NY State Department of Health] can't implement it.”@andrewcuomo… pic.twitter.com/bG5rAtccym

— James O'Keefe (@JamesOKeefeIII) June 23, 2025

The law in question was passed in 2021 and billed as nursing home reform. It mandated that 70% of nursing home revenue be spent on direct care, with 40% going to hands-on services. But Wilkinson says the law was “written so poorly” that the Department of Health “can’t implement it.” He said the legislation was drafted by lobbyists, not policy experts. “The Nurses Association wrote it,” he added. “They didn’t understand all the things for that process.” The law is still on the books. The department is still unable to enforce it.

The context is not ancient history. Cuomo resigned in August 2021 after multiple women accused him of sexual harassment. At the same time, his administration was under fire for its handling of COVID-19 in nursing homes. On March 25, 2020, Cuomo’s health department ordered facilities to accept COVID-positive patients. The Javits Center and Navy hospital ships sat mostly empty. The refrigerated trucks rolled in. The death toll climbed. The state later admitted it undercounted nursing home deaths by nearly 50%.

Cuomo denied wrongdoing. He said he followed federal guidance. But internal emails and handwritten edits show he reviewed and altered a report that downplayed the death toll. He told Congress he had not seen the report. He now admits he did. The Department of Justice opened a criminal investigation in May 2025 to determine whether Cuomo lied under oath.

The fallout continues. Protesters confronted Cuomo outside a senior center in Queens last week. He canceled the visit. The House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic released a memo in September 2024 blaming Cuomo and his aides for thousands of preventable deaths. The memo said the March 25 directive was deliberate and that the administration repeatedly downplayed its effects.

The law Cuomo signed under pressure is still in place. The deaths are still unaccounted for. The accountability is still missing.