Republican nominee for governor in New York, Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-NY), released an ad Wednesday slamming the Empire State’s cashless bail program and Gov. Kathy Hochul (D-NY) – his general election opponent – for her inaction on the matter.
The ad, seen below, comes days after Zeldin was attacked during a campaign stop Thursday in Fairport, New York, and his accused attacker was subsequently released within hours.
🚨Just released our new ad, “REPEAL Cashless Bail!", now airing digitally statewide. Just this summer alone, there have been A LOT of high profile cases of suspects released under cashless bail. We have to FIRE Kathy Hochul on 11/8, repeal cashless bail, & secure our streets. pic.twitter.com/KCz80FPzgG
— Lee Zeldin (@leezeldin) July 27, 2022
In the video, a narrator states:
A man aggressively attacks Lee Zeldin with a weapon. Only hours later, the attacker was released under New York’s dangerous cashless bail program. The very program Lee Zeldin has promised to overhaul as governor. Kathy Hochul sees the endless headlines about violent crime across New York yet refuses to end cashless bail that puts every family’s safety in jeopardy. That’s unconscionable. Protect your family—vote Lee Zeldin for governor.
During the attack, Zeldin grabbed the suspect, identified as 43-year-old David G. Jakubonis, by the wrist, and others quickly jumped in to subdue him before he could harm the congressman. Jakubonis was arrested by the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office and charged with attempted assault in the second degree, a felony, but was released on his own recognizance under the cashless bail policies signed into law by disgraced former Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D-NY). Zeldin had been speaking of those same policies at the event, and finished his remarks after the ordeal.
Hours before the event, “Hochul’s campaign sent out a press release just hours before the failed attack on Zeldin that blasted out the time and location of several of Zeldin campaign’s upcoming stops,” as Breitbart News reported. The release dubbed him “Big Lie Lee” and encouraged Hochul supporters to “RSVP” to his events.
While speaking with Sirius XM’s Breitbart News Saturday over the weekend about the attack, Zeldin noted the countless instances of accused criminals being released and the lack of discretion judges have to set bail on an array of crimes.
“I keep hearing stories of people who get released on cashless bail, and then they go out and commit additional offenses,” Zeldin explained. “And judges in case after case, wanting to be able to keep somebody detained or setting cash bail because they are concerned about the person being a flight-risk, maybe they’re concerned about an individual being dangerous, maybe it’s something in their past with a criminal record and past events, maybe its the particular seriousness of the offense – that discretion doesn’t exist for all sorts of different laws that are on the books.”
He also zeroed in on the “stark” contrast between himself and Hochul on cashless bail, her utter inaction on the issue that undoubtedly makes law-abiding New Yorkers less safe, as well as her defense of radical George Soros-backed District Attorney Alvin Bragg in New York County.
“When Kathy Hochul gets asked earlier this year about repealing cashless bail because the New York City mayor – who is a Democrat, Eric Adams – had just taken office and he was calling for a major overhaul, and Kathy Hochul said she needs more data. Alvin Bragg was refusing to enforce the law starting on day one. He puts out a day one memo, he says all different laws across the board he’s not going to enforce, all sorts of others he’ll treat as lower offenses,” Zeldin said. “Kathy Hochul was asked about this by the media, she says that ‘We all should be cutting him some slack. He just got there. He’s doing his job.’ She does this time and time again when the media is pressing her on these particular issues. She’s giving the wrong answer every time.”
He went on to emphasize that the two far and away most pressing issues in New York State are public safety and the economy.
“The contrast is stark. These are the top two issues. Kathy Hochul isn’t dealing with it, she’s taking our state in the wrong direction, and I believe that these solutions are obvious, and it doesn’t matter whether you’re Republican, a Democrat, an independent,” he told host Matthew Boyle. “If you are New Yorker, you have to vote for common sense to secure our streets, to make life in New York more affordable, and I do believe that there are enough New Yorkers ready to do that November 8 in order for us to save this state.”
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