Melissa DeRosa, Secretary to the Governor, made the shocking admission during a two-hour video conference call with Democratic leaders - telling them that the Cuomo administration stonewalled after the State Senate requested the information in August.

"Right around the same time, [then-President Donald Trump] turns this into a giant political football, says DeRosa in an audio recording of the meeting.

"He starts tweeting that we killed everyone in nursing homes," she continues. "He starts going after [New Jersey Gov. Phil] Murphy, starts going after [California Gov. Gavin] Newsom, starts going after [Michigan Gov.] Gretchen Whitmer."

DeRosa then suggested that Trump "directs the Department of Justice to do an investigation into us," and because of this, "basically, we froze" she said.

"Because then we were in a position where we weren't sure if what we were going to give to the Department of Justice, or what we give to you guys, what we start saying, was going to be used against us while we weren't sure if there was going to be an investigation."

"That played a very large role into this," DeRosa added.