Were it not for the sometimes odious air of politics, there would be little controversy over a federal investigation of the New York State Justice Center for the Protection of People With Special Needs.

Claims that the agency hasn’t investigated crimes that involve neglect, abuse, sexual assault and death of disabled citizens under New York State care have reached the ears of several of New York’s Congressional representatives. Given that the center was one of Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s early initiatives, some worry that an investigation by New York authorities won’t serve the clients who most need the center. It makes sense, then, that the federal Department of Justice be called in to investigate claims of the center’s ineffectiveness.

The only problem is that the exact opposite of a New York investigation may be true with a federal investigation. There is no love lost between Gov. Andrew Cuomo and President Donald Trump, nor is there a warm and friendly relationship between many members of Congress and Cuomo. We include U.S. Rep. Tom Reed, R-Corning, in that equation. Reed was one of four federal legislators to sign a letter calling for the federal investigation into the Justice Center — a request that makes sense given the complaints the congressman has been hearing. It is also worth noting, however, that Republican members of Congress, Reed included, and Cuomo have sparred often in the past year over items ranging from the state’s continuing rural population loss to the federal tax bill’s cap on the state and local tax deduction. It’s one reason why something Reed said during his media conference call last week caught our attention.

“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.

What Reed says may indeed be true, but no one will know whether that statement is true until after an investigation is complete. Getting politics involved in something like the Justice Center investigation is a bad deal for everyone involved because it will just call into question the results of an investigation that is a life-and-death matter for literally thousands of families who rely on the government to do their job. The focus should not be on the governor –unless the investigation shines a light in that direction — but instead focus on an agency that may or may not be failing the most vulnerable of our citizens.

Some things have to stay outside of the political realm. The Justice Center investigation is one of them.