It has never been clearer that there must be a full and immediate investigation of Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s nursing-home coverup and the circumstances surrounding the loss of 15,000 senior citizens to COVID-19. A report from the state attorney general indicated missteps by the administration, namely underreporting the true death toll by 50 percent and requiring the homes to admit COVID-19 positive residents, which greatly contributed to the spread of the disease.

The governor’s deflections and finger-pointing have run their course. [In a Feb. 15 COVID-19 briefing], he blamed the failures of the state’s nursing-home response on political attacks, delays caused by his own staff, and a previously unmentioned “void,” which provided a space for conspiracies to take root.

If, as the governor claims, the inquiry from the federal Department of Justice occupied so much time and attention, why not release the information that was ultimately given to federal authorities? Additionally, the state Department of Health has more than 5,000 professionals working for the agency. That would seem to be enough manpower to ensure requests are fulfilled in an efficient manner.

The time for the governor’s spin is over. The time to act is now. Anyone involved in the [state’s nursing-home] decisions must be accountable for their decisions, and right now every possible mechanism to find accountability is on the table.

The New York Legislature must remove Gov. Cuomo’s emergency authorities and initiate subpoena-driven public hearings. The state attorney general’s office and federal Department of Justice must continue with expanded investigations until we arrive at the truth.       

William (Will) A. Barclay, Republican, is the New York Assembly Minority Leader and represents the 120th New York Assembly District, which encompasses most of Oswego County, including the cities of Oswego and Fulton, as well as the town of Lysander in Onondaga County and town of Ellisburg in Jefferson County. Contact Barclay at barclaw@assembly.state.ny.us. This article is drawn and edited from a statement Barclay issued on Feb. 15 and a Feb. 12 column he wrote.

There was an interesting moment in Washington, D.C. at the end of January, on Antony Blinken’s first full day as secretary of state. Meeting with the press corps that covers the State Department, he called an independent press “a cornerstone of our democracy,” and told the assembled reporters, “You keep the American people and the world informed about what we do here. That’s key to our mission.”

I have no doubt that there will be plenty of tense moments between Blinken and the journalists who cover U.S. foreign policy. But Blinken’s comment — meant to signal a change from the hostile relationship that developed under the previous administration —underscored a key facet of American diplomacy: what happens at home affects our posture and capabilities abroad. Just as important, how we conduct ourselves abroad says a great deal about who we are at home.

One way to think about this is to imagine a foreign policy that puts us at the forefront of curbing human-rights abuses around the world or that makes certain that in cases of major natural disasters, the U.S. leads the way in providing disaster relief. These actions send messages about who we are as a nation — and as the American people — that resonate with ordinary people the world over, even if foreign regimes sometimes resent them.

Boiled down, we ought not to apologize for trying to do the right thing as a country. If we can be a factor for improvement and a force for good in the world, that will have profound consequences for the way the world looks at us and the way we look at ourselves. Trying to do good in the world is good foreign policy, and I would argue makes us stronger and safer at home.

But you can see the issue. We are only as strong abroad as we are at home. A nation incapable of managing a pandemic response or riven by conspiracy theories and misinformation or unable to nurture its economy in ways that improve the lives of those who are not already wealthy will struggle to project strength and confidence abroad. That is because there is a direct line between the ideals we seek to communicate and our ability to practice them at home. I have never yet heard of “do as I say, not as I do” turning out to be a good strategy.

This is why I believe our struggles at home over basic democratic processes — over the right to vote and the way those votes are counted — leave us weaker abroad. It is hard to take the greatest democracy in the world seriously when many of its elected leaders were willing to seek to overturn the results of a legitimate election, or when state leaders pursue policies aimed at limiting the ability of voters to cast their ballots.

In the end, you cannot separate foreign and domestic policy. They are different aspects of the same world. What you do about one affects the other.

Over the next few years, if we can do the right thing regarding domestic issues — from the environment to ballot access to the economy — it will strengthen our hand in foreign policy, since of course the rest of the world watches us closely. And if we can use our dealings and posture abroad to stand for the best of American ideals — promoting decency, respecting individuals’ rights, settling disputes as often as possible through responsible negotiation, nurturing democracy and the institutions that sustain it — we will undoubtedly reap the benefits at home. That would come in the form of  strong political and economic relationships, healthy alliances with friendly nations, and a position as a world leader widely seen as deserving the role.      

Lee Hamilton, 89, is a senior advisor for the Indiana University (IU) Center on Representative Government, distinguished scholar at IU Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies, and professor of practice at the IU O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs. Hamilton, a Democrat, was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives for 34 years (1965-1999), representing a district in south central Indiana.