Cuomo refuses to take questions as de Blasio slams vaccine czar for allegedly trading shot access for political clout

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo refused to take questions from the media during a trip to a vaccine site where he announced he was going to take the coronavirus vaccine, ignoring calls from from prominent politicians for his resignation over sexual harassment allegations.

To add heat to the already boiling water the governor has found himself in, Mayor Bill De Blasio of New York City has also called for an investigation into his vaccine czar to determine whether or not political favours were traded for access to Covid shots.

On Monday, the governor visited a mass vaccination site where he announced his intention to receive the coronavirus vaccine. During the visit he took no questions from reporters and did not mention the mounting calls for his resignation over allegations made by several women - mostly subordinates - that he had made unsolicited sexual advances toward them as well as claims of bullying and racism.

Mr Cuomo has thus far rebuffed all calls for him to leave his position, arguing that he is the best person for the job. He has also denied the claims.

At the same time, Mr De Blasio said an investigation into Mr Cuomo's former vaccine czar, Larry Schwartz, was needed to determine whether or not he traded political clout for coronavirus shots.

Mr Schwartz was accused of making calls to politicians gauging their responses to the mounting allegations against Mr Cuomo both from women accusing him of sexual harassment and that he covered up nursing home deaths caused by Covid-19.

One county official who received a call from Mr Schwartz spoke to The Washington Post on condition of anonymity, fearing that their response could influence their access to the coronavirus vaccine.

“At best, it was inappropriate,” the executive said. “At worst, it was clearly over the ethical line.”

Mr Schwartz said there was no discussion of the coronavirus vaccines during the calls, and said he only conducted the discussions as a long time friend of Mr Cuomo's, and not in any official capacity.

“I did nothing wrong,” Mr Schwartz said. “I have always conducted myself in a manner commensurate to a high ethical standard.”

Mr De Blasio said if those allegations were proven true, it would constitute one of the worst ethical breaches to transpire under Mr Cuomo's leadership.

“If vaccine supply is being given out for political reasons, that, in many ways, is the single worst thing we’ve heard in all of these scandals — and they’re all horrible,” Mr de Blasio said during his daily press briefing. “Because it means that some people may not get the help they need — they may not live — as a result.”

The mayor said an investigation was necessary to get to the bottom of the allegations.

“What we’ve heard about the governor and his team trying to link vaccine supply to political support — that is the definition of corruption,” Mr de Blasio said.

Several politicians have called for Mr Cuomo to resign, including top New York congressional Democrats senators Chuck Schumer and Kristen Gillibrand, as well as New York Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said during a press briefing that Joe Biden was aware of the allegations and found them troubling.

When Mr Biden was questioned directly, he said he would wait until more information about the allegations was available before commenting.

“I think the investigation is underway and we should see what it brings us,” Mr Biden said.