A defensive Gov. Andrew Cuomo went on a 15-minute rant Friday in which he vowed to counter what he claimed were “lies” and “misinformation” about his handling of nursing homes amid the COVID-19 pandemic — and accused his critics of “causing pain” to the relatives of residents killed by the disease.

During a virtual news conference from Albany, Cuomo said, “I’m not going to let you hurt New Yorkers by lying about what happened. Surrounding the death of a loved one.”

“So, I’m going to take on the lies and the unscrupulous actors, especially when they cause pain and damage to New York,” he said.

“I should have done it before. And I should have done it more aggressively.”

“This is different,” he said.