"US New York State Vaccine Chief Makes Calls to Confirm Cuomo Loyalty"

New York State 'Vaccine Czar', Cuomo's Key Ally
Allegations of Using Vaccines as Leverage to Demand Support for Cuomo

Larry Schwartz, New York State's Chief Vaccine Officer.
Photo by AP Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] Controversy has arisen after it was reported that Andrew Cuomo, the Governor of New York State in the United States, who is under pressure to resign due to successive sexual harassment allegations, had his closest aide demand support for Governor Cuomo from county heads across New York State by using the COVID-19 vaccine distribution issue as leverage. It is being evaluated that Governor Cuomo is increasingly cornered.

According to foreign media including The Washington Post (WP) on the 14th (local time), Larry Schwartz, the so-called 'vaccine czar' who oversees vaccine distribution in New York State, reportedly called several county heads within New York State over the past few weeks to test their loyalty to Governor Cuomo and to rally support. A Democratic county head who requested anonymity reportedly felt great unease at Schwartz's calls and sent a notice to the New York State Attorney General's Public Integrity Bureau indicating an intention to file an ethics complaint, WP reported.

Schwartz, who served as an aide to Governor Cuomo from 2011 to 2015, has been called a key close aide to Governor Cuomo. After the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak last year, he began assisting with New York State's COVID-19 response efforts and is currently known to be serving as the vaccine czar on an unpaid basis.

Regarding the controversy, Schwartz defended himself by saying, "I have done nothing wrong. I always act in a manner that meets high moral standards," and denied ever bringing up vaccine issues during calls with county heads, WP reported. If the controversy is proven true, Governor Cuomo is expected to face an even narrower political standing.

CNN reported that public opinion in the United States is increasingly deepening distrust toward Governor Cuomo. Arthur Caplan, director of medical ethics at New York University School of Medicine, pointed out, "The fact that someone managing the essential supply of life-saving resources like vaccines demands political loyalty is an enormous hidden influence."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.