Republicans are accusing Gov. Kathy Hochul’s campaign of encouraging people to “stalk” and incite hatred against GOP opponent Lee Zeldin — just hours before the Long Island congressman was attacked on stage at a Rochester-area event Thursday night.
“The Hochul campaign is encouraging people to go after Lee Zeldin. That’s what liberals have done to our Supreme Court justices,” said Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman.
“Wrong. Kathy Hochul should have known better.
State GOP spokeswoman Jessica Proud said, “Hochul’s campaign rhetoric was inflammatory and over the top. They invented this.
They referred to a media release issued by Hochul’s campaign early Thursday with the headline: “‘Big Lie’ Lee Begins State Tour on ‘MAGA Republican’ Bus.” They were joined by far-right extremists, ‘Rolex’ Rob Astorino and Trump’s Chick-fil-A runner Andrew Giuliani.”
Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman was among politicians suggesting that Hochul’s campaign led to the attack. Dennis A. Clark
The parody listed the date and times of Zeldin’s RSVP events, including one “to hear Zeldin’s plans to put more guns on our streets and in our communities, ensuring New Yorkers are less safe.”
Hochul’s release also said voters should RSVP to a Sunday event to hear Zeldin “discuss his enduring loyalty to Donald Trump, his persistent efforts against Trump’s impeachment, his vote against the certification of the 2020 presidential election results and his refusal to support an investigation into the January 6 uprising.”
Hochul’s campaign had no immediate comment.
Rep. Lee Zeldin was giving a speech Thursday when he was allegedly attacked by David Iakubonis.AP
But Hochul, in a statement on Twitter Thursday night, said: “My team informed me of the incident at the Lee Zeldin campaign tonight. I was relieved to hear that Congressman Zeldin was not injured and that the suspect was in custody.
“I condemn this violent behavior in the strongest possible terms — it has no place in New York.”
Meanwhile, Republican minority leaders in the state Senate and Assembly are calling for a special session of the Legislature to repeal New York’s controversial “cashless bail law” — which takes away judges’ discretion to set bail and detain defendants for many crimes – in light of the quick release of the suspect in the Zeldin attack.
“If they really care about the safety of all New Yorkers, they [Democrats] should call a special session to address the violent criminals breaking our laws. Last night, in just one night, we tragically lost a Rochester police officer in the line of duty and there was a brutal assault on Congressman Lee Zeldin,” said state Senate Minority Leader Robert Orth.
Gov. Kathy Hochul took to Twitter to condemn the attack. Matthew McDermott
Assembly Minority Leader Will Barclay said, “When you consider that major crime in New York City has increased by nearly 40% this year, there is no question – New Yorkers are not safe. I am calling on Governor Kathy Hochul to call a special session to enact measures that will hold dangerous criminals accountable and roll back bail reform once and for all. There is no other way to stop this unprecedented and unsustainable tide of violence sweeping our state.”
Lawmakers have twice tightened the bail law — earlier this year and in 2020 — after public outcry that defendants who were released instead of being held pending trial committed more crimes.
The changes give judges the power to set bail and hold defendants who have serial convictions for either previous firearm use or hate crimes.
Yakubonis, 43, was charged with attempted second-degree assault and released.AP
At Hochul’s request, the Legislature went into special session earlier this month to pass laws tightening gun restrictions following a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that struck down New York’s law banning concealed weapons.
Republicans and conservatives particularly criticized the “catch and release” of the man who allegedly attacked Zeldin at a campaign event Thursday night.
“Only in New York can people assault a federal employee and be released a few hours later…which is exactly why Lee should be elected in November; to tackle crime and save our state,” said Congresswoman Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY), who represents Staten Island and Brooklyn.
State Conservative Party Chairman Gerard Cassar, a supporter of Zeldin, said, “Only in New York could someone attack a sitting congressman with a gun and be back on the street hours later. But this is the state we live in under Gov. Kathy Hochul and the reckless, one-party rule of the Democrats.
Nassau County Executive Blakeman said, “This guy comes on stage and attacks a sitting United States Congressman who is running for the highest office in the state and is out on a no-money bond. This is crazy.”
State Sen. George Borrello (R-Jamestown) said he was “relieved” Zeldin and others were not seriously injured.
But Borrello added that “thousands of innocent New Yorkers who have been victimized by the reckless criminal justice ‘reforms’ of one-party rule have not been so lucky.” Revolving door justice puts us all at risk and must end if public safety is to be restored.”
Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins (D-Yonkers) and Assembly Speaker Carl Hastie (D-Bronx) had no immediate comment.
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