Who are you going to believe, Governor Kathy Hochul (D-NY) or your own lying eyes?
On Friday, Hochul claimed that Republicans, such as her gubernatorial opponent Congressman Lee Zeldin, were lying about the amount of crime plaguing New York over the past year. Her remarks came even as CNN displayed data showing that overall crime was up 31% from October 2021 – October 2022 in the Big Apple.
“Because they’re being dishonest about it,” Hochul said when asked why GOP candidates are gaining grounds in polls while talking about crime. “They’re not having a conversation about real solutions.”
While Hochul acknowledged that crime is a problem in New York City, she claimed that the real issue was the number of guns on the street and that Republicans were “tough on crime, but soft on guns.”
“That’s not going to give anyone any comfort,” Hochul said of the crime data. “It says we still have a problem, I understand that, but let’s talk about real answers and not just give everybody all these platitudes.”
Her segment alongside data showing New York City crime rising in every section except murder can be seen here:
Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) saying Republicans “are being dishonest” about crime rising in New York on a split screen with the actual rising crime statistics is like a perfect visual metaphor for her entire #NYGov campaign.pic.twitter.com/SD8tmvdOWQ
— RRH Elections (@RRHElections) November 4, 2022
Earlier in the week, the governor also accused Republicans of being “master manipulators” on this topic.
“They have this conspiracy going all across America to try to convince people in Democratic states they’re not as safe,” she claimed. “Well guess what? They’re not only election deniers, they’re data deniers. The data shows that murders and shootings in our state are down by 15%, down almost 20% on Long Island where Lee Zeldin lives.”
As documented by the New York Post, the data show that violence is surging in New York City, regardless of what Hochul says.
“…citywide murders last year were 67% higher than in 2017, and that, though they’ve fallen slightly this year, other crimes continue to soar,” The Post recently reported. “As of Sunday, rapes in Gotham were up 10.9% over last year, robberies 32.4%, grand larcenies 38.5% and car thefts 34.5%.”
Despite the litany of crimes committed without firearms, Hochul believes that laws which weaken the Second Amendment and eliminate concealed carry in New York are necessary to reduce lawlessness.
When previously asked for data showing that legal concealed carry holders are committing crimes, Hochul was defiant that she didn’t need any numbers to back up her claims.
“Do you have the numbers to show that it’s the concealed carry permit holders that are committing crimes?” one reporter asked.
“I don’t need to have numbers,” she claimed. “I don’t need to have a data point to say this. I know that I have a responsibility for this state to have sensible gun safety laws.”
Anne: Do you have numbers to show that it’s the concealed carry permit holders that are committing crimes?
Hochul: I don’t need to have numbers. I don’t need to have a data point to say this. I know that I have a responsibility for this state to have sensible gun safety laws. pic.twitter.com/NiCp7POO88
— Anne McCloy (@AnneMcCloyNews) June 29, 2022
Critics say that New York’s bail reform law signed in 2019 is partly to blame for the overall rise in crime. That law banned cash bail except for the “most serious misdemeanors and felonies.” Politico explained state judges cannot hold defendants based on their “perceived dangerousness” and are required to use the “least restrictive means” of ensuring charged individuals return to court.
Highlighting the dangers of such a policy, a New York mother was killed by her estranged husband who was let out of jail without bail despite being arrested for beating her.
For her part, Hochul has defended that policy, claiming that crime is rising everywhere else in the nation. Of course, what she leaves out is that other leftist policies in blue cities can explain that data as well.
The views expressed in this piece are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.
