In a Wednesday story for the Daily Mail, New York Democratic Governor Andrew Cuomo’s administration sunk to a new low, lashing out like a grade-school Mean Girl at Fox News senior meteorologist Janice Dean, dismissing her fervent push for answers on behalf of deceased elderly New Yorkers (such as her late in-laws) because she’s no more than a weather lady.
Cuomo spokesperson Richard Azzopardi told the Daily Mail: “Last I checked she's not a credible source on anything except maybe the weather.”
So you shouldn’t trust someone using platform to a voice for families across the state and country who lost elderly family members to the coronavirus (and whom most were never able to say goodbye to) because she’s just the weather person? Would Azzopardi and Cuomo say the same about victims of gun violence?
Reporters Arizel Zilber and Rachel Sharp had reached out to Cuomo’s office for a response to Dean’s Tuesday Fox & Friends appearance slamming Cuomo’s deadly coronavirus response when they chimed in on Dean’s latest criticism as the state has lagged behind on vaccine distribution.
Along with that cheap shot at Dean and her intelligence, Azzopardi offered this spin on behalf of his large-headed and liberal media-fluffed boss: “Every state has had issues with vaccine distribution because of lack of federal funds but we're rapidly ramping up distribution and currently have administered more than 60 percent of the vaccines we have.”
Ah, the Orange Man Bad defense. Good one!
Numerous conservatives and colleagues came to Deans defense:
Worst Governor in America and his heartless sycophant hacks👇
— Elise Stefanik (@EliseStefanik) January 15, 2021
After @JaniceDean lost BOTH her in-laws this year in NY nursing homes, instead of mourning with her and listening to her, Cuomo’s disgusting goons smear her.
Truly a cowardly disgrace and an embarrassment to NY. https://t.co/qWcMzuGMMm
A governor’s spokesman saying that a woman is “not a credible source” on the deaths of her own family members would be disgusting even if @JaniceDean were *not* an accomplished, dynamic beacon of love & light, but she also is those things. https://t.co/r8NtqPsHph
— Kat Timpf (@KatTimpf) January 15, 2021
I guess when your boss @andrewcuomo is a tone deaf asshole, it’s pretty easy for @RichAzzopardi to think he should be one to @JaniceDean as well. No sweat lil fella, the light shines bright on things of this nature. Sleep well! https://t.co/FnCmWfchKw
— Joey Jones (@Johnny_Joey) January 15, 2021
This is some of the most pathetic trash I’ve ever read. @JaniceDean is one of the kindest, smartest women I know. I’m so grateful for her mentorship and friendship, and I’m so damn proud of her for giving a voice to families who lost loved ones like she has. Pound sand Cuomo! https://t.co/m5Em12A0Ry
— Emily Domenech (@ehdomenech) January 15, 2021
After @JaniceDean lost BOTH her in-laws this year in NY nursing homes, instead of mourning with her and listening to her, Cuomo smears her.
— Meghan McCain (@MeghanMcCain) January 15, 2021
There is blood on your hands Cuomo and we all know it. You disgust me, you absolute heartless monster. https://t.co/AKzRQcpBPF
Since April when she went public, Dean has dedicated untold amounts of energy and time (on top of her full-time job) to finding out what happened to in-laws Micky and Dee Newman and demanding answers about why the Cuomo administration sent COVID patients into nursing homes.
And since May, Cuomo’s office has provided neither. Instead, they’ve continued to deflect and obfuscate with increasing levels of dreck, so this statement was sadly predictable.
Just last week, Dean penned a lengthy FoxNews.com column containing a deep dive into Cuomo’s actions, why they led to the deaths of untold numbers of seniors, how he has yet to answer for what happened (other than to blame others), and what this all means. So perhaps that helped set them over the edge.
Perhaps its another case of liberals believing that speaking truth to power doesn’t apply to them.
And nothing against the good men and women at ABC and NBC, but if this were something, say, a Ron DeSantis spokesperson said about a meteorologist on Good Morning America or Today, you can bet your life everyone from the CNN media team to late comics to MSNBC’s Never Trumpers to even entertainment blogs would be calling for their firing.
