In response to stories of abuse and death involving disabled New York residents under state care, Rep. Tom Reed, R-Corning, is calling for a federal investigation of the New York State Justice Center.

The goal is for these cases to be prosecuted and brought to light. The Department of Justice would investigate the State Justice Center for failure to investigate crimes that involve neglect, abuse, sexual assault and death of disabled citizens under New York State care.

Reed said in a conference call with regional media that he wants these cases more properly recorded and investigated. He said the letter he and other representatives sent the Department of Justice is the first step to holding the health care institutions and the State Justice Center accountable.

“We were made aware of these egregious and unreported crimes against people with disabilities through a conversation with Michael Carey — whose son with autism was smothered to death by a state employee,” Reed said. “We care about these people who are being mistreated and abused and will fight to ensure those responsible are held accountable for their actions.

“For Governor Cuomo’s Justice Center to sweep these crimes under the rug is unfair for the people our government is charged with protecting,” Reed said.

He added that a possible action plan would be to brainstorm ways reporting these acts of neglect and abuse can be improved after the Department of Justice shares how it’s handling the issues. Better training of employees “so that complaints are handled appropriately” are needed, Reed said.

“That’s why we listen to so many people,” Reed said. “(Carey) is using the death of his son … to bring awareness to this horrific issue.”

Reed said nearly 1,400 allegations related to abuse, neglect, sexual assault and death of disabled residents due to staff behavior have been reported to the State Justice Center. In a press release, Reed’s office said less than 2.5 percent of these cases have been investigated by the state due to a lack of oversight.

In response to unrelated questions, Reed clarified recent political statements and actions. He stood by his comments made earlier this week on CNN that President Donald Trump has not been implicated in any crime by Michael Cohen’s guilty plea. Cohen said he committed campaign finance violations at Trump’s direction.

Reed said that he was trying to stress that legal opinions on all sides do not seem to pinpoint whether Trump is truly implicated in a crime. He said he wishes for the swift conclusion of the investigation and for speculation to not fuel reporters’ base information.

“I just don’t see that (Trump is implicated) based on the information we have to date,” Reed said. “We let the evidence and those conclusions take us down to the next step. It does need to wrap up.”

Reed also commented on the farm bill that passed in the House shortly after his conference call. He said he was glad to support it and hopes to see substantial farm policy reform as a result. He wished stricter work requirements and food stamp changes could have been enforced into the writing and added that able-bodied, non-dependents should not have to be on food stamps.

“I wish we could have done more there,” Reed said. “I’m willing to recognize the successes of this bill and that’s why I’ll be supporting it.”

After voting to send the bill to Trump’s desk, Reed issued a statement that he hopes the bill will succeed with overhauling the dairy farmer protection program to make sure small producers are prioritized, legalizing the production of hemp, providing $350 million in funding for rural broadband access to increase internet speed standards, authorizing funding for organic farmers and specialty crop research and improving crop insurance programs.

“This farm bill not only supports our hardworking farmers we care about, but also ensures our families are given a fair hand up when they fall upon hard times,” Reed said. “And as always, we are proud to continue our efforts to ensure increased funding and standards for rural broadband access.”

In regards to dairy insurance programs, Reed disagreed with Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-NY, who had called for Trump to reject any farm bill that does not include a federal refund for farmers who paid into those programs.

Reed said refunds will upset calculations aimed to reform insurance cost in order to make programs more accessible for smaller farmers. He said Gillibrand doesn’t understand how the insurance programs work.