The inquiry, begun about a month ago by the U.S. attorney’s office in Washington, comes after senior Justice Department officials in February demanded the dismissal of an indictment of the city’s current mayor, Eric Adams, on corruption charges. That puts the Trump administration in the unusual position of having ended a criminal case against the leader of the nation’s largest city and opened one into his chief rival in the span of a few months. Mr. Adams is running for re-election as an independent, and Mr. Cuomo is leading the Democratic primary field in the polls. The existence of the investigation is sure to fuel further criticism that President Trump and his administration are wielding the Justice Department as a cudgel to achieve political ends and punish his perceived enemies.

The Justice Department has reportedly opened an investigation into former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a disgraced Democrat who led the state during the COVID-19 pandemic, sources told the New York Times on Tuesday. The investigation is allegedly following up on a referral from House Oversight Chairman James Comer, who has repeatedly asked the Justice Department to investigate inaccurate statements Cuomo made to a House subcommittee investigating his handling of the coronavirus pandemic.

The Justice Department is investigating former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo after a criminal referral from House Republicans over allegations that he lied to Congress about his handling of the Covid-19 pandemic and nursing home patients. The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Washington, D.C. is conducting the inquiry into Cuomo, according to several media reports. His spokesman, Rich Azzopardi, said they were not informed of any investigation taking place. “We have never been informed of any such matter, so why would someone leak it now?” he told the New York Times. “The answer is obvious: This is lawfare and election interference plain and simple — something President Trump and his top Department of Justice officials say they are against.”