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Poll: 40% of New Yorkers support recalling Gov. Cuomo

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At the beginning of the pandemic, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) became a household name and media darling for his response to the novel coronavirus, even being floated at one point as a potential vice presidential nominee for then-candidate Joe Biden.

Since last spring and summer, Cuomo has become increasingly unpopular among New Yorkers for a variety of reasons—especially revelations about nursing home deaths—with a new poll finding that 40% of state residents would support recalling the three-term governor.

The Zogby survey asked 810 likely voters if they supported the process that lets residents gather signatures for a recall election before an elected official has finished their term, a process which is not allowed in New York but allowed in some other states.

In California, where recalling governors is allowed and has occurred before, a recall effort against Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) has been picking up steam.

While 40% of respondents said they would support a recall election to remove Cuomo before the 2022 gubernatorial election, 42% opposed such a move. The remaining respondents were undecided.

Moreover, while 47% of respondents said the Empire State needs a new governor, only 41% said that Cuomo deserves another term in Albany.

The Zogby survey also asked likely voters about the 2022 governor’s race, with Cuomo having said he wants to run for a fourth term.

In a hypothetical Democratic primary battle between Cuomo and New York Attorney General Letitia James, who is considered a rising star, the survey found that the governor would devastate James 65% to 22%. When matched up with Bronx and Queens Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Cuomo beat the self-described democratic socialist 67% to 24%.

As for the 2022 general election, Zogby reported that Cuomo currently leads Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik 49% to 37% in a hypothetical election.

Regarding the governor’s handling of COVID-19, 56% of New York voters supported his overall response to the pandemic, the survey reported. However, nearly half of respondents said that Cuomo was to blame for the thousands of coronavirus-related deaths at nursing homes in the state.

“In your opinion is Governor Andrew Cuomo responsible for the thousands of deaths in New York state that needlessly occurred as a result of his decision last March to require nursing homes to accept patients released from hospitals, despite them being COVID-positive and despite testing deficiencies for both residents and staff?” respondents were asked.

48% said the deaths were Cuomo’s fault, overshadowing the 32% who said he wasn’t to blame.

On January 28, James released a report showing that the nursing home deaths “may have been undercounted by as much as 50%,” with the state department of health at the time of the report’s release saying that COVID-19 was responsible for about 8,500 nursing home deaths.

Cuomo has deflected the blame, arguing that former President Donald Trump turned the pandemic into a “political football.”

RELATED: 9 of Gov. Cuomo’s top health officials have left: report

The Zogby survey was conducted between February 2 and 5, and reported a 3.4% margin of error.

You can follow Douglas Braff on Twitter @Douglas_P_Braff.

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Hunter Biden Indicted on Federal Gun Charges Amidst Special Counsel Investigation

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In a significant development, Hunter Biden, the son of President Joe Biden, was indicted on Thursday on federal gun charges as part of Special Counsel David Weiss’ ongoing investigation. The indictment alleges that Hunter Biden made false statements during the purchase of a firearm, among other charges.

The charges against Hunter Biden include:

• Making a false statement in the purchase of a firearm

• Making a false statement related to information required to be kept by a federal firearms licensed dealer

•Possession of a firearm by a person who is an unlawful user of or addicted to a controlled substance

According to the indictment, the alleged incident occurred on or about October 12, 2018, in the District of Delaware. Hunter Biden is accused of knowingly making a false and fictitious written statement during the acquisition of a Colt Cobra 38SPL Revolver. According to reports from Fox News, the statement, submitted on Form 4473, falsely certified that he was not an unlawful user of, and addicted to, any stimulant, narcotic drug, or controlled substance.

Furthermore, the indictment further states that between October 12, 2018, and October 23, 2018, in the District of Delaware, Hunter Biden knowingly possessed the same firearm despite being an unlawful user of and addicted to controlled substances. This marks the first set of charges brought by Special Counsel David Weiss against Hunter Biden since being granted special counsel status.

The investigation came to public attention when it was reported by Fox News in 2021 that police had responded to an incident in 2018 involving a gun owned by Hunter Biden.

Reports state that, Hallie Biden, the widow of President Biden’s late son, Beau, who was in a relationship with Hunter at the time, discarded the gun. Hunter’s gun was thrown away in a dumpster near a market, located close to a school. It was subsequently revealed that Hunter Biden had purchased a gun earlier that same month.

Hunter Biden’s legal troubles do not end with the gun charges. Earlier in July, an original plea agreement collapsed, which would have seen him plead guilty to two misdemeanor tax counts for willful failure to pay federal income tax, thus avoiding jail time on a felony gun charge. Instead, he pleaded not guilty to two misdemeanor tax charges and one felony gun charge.

Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed David Weiss as special counsel to oversee the Hunter Biden investigation and related matters. The White House has declined to comment on these developments, which continue to draw significant public and media attention.

Follow Alexander Carter on Twitter @AlexCarterDC for more!

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