New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) sent out a press release urging her supporters to “RSVP” to her Republican challenger Rep. Lee Zeldin’s (R) upcoming campaign stop, just hours before a man rushed the stage at one of Zeldin’s events in a failed attack.
While Zeldin spoke at a campaign event in Fairport, New York, a man reportedly rushed the stage with a weapon in an apparent attempt to stab him on Thursday evening. Fortunately, Zeldin grabbed the attacker’s wrist long enough for other event attendees to step in and subdue the attacker.
However, as people like GOP strategist Arthur Schwartz and New York GOP Chairman Nick Langworthy pointed out, 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.
Hochul claimed that Zeldin and his team would spread “dangerous lies, misinformation, and his far-right agenda at these campaign events.”
“‘Big Lie’ Lee and his entourage of extremists kick off the statewide ‘MAGA Republican’ Bus Tour, which will make stops across the state peddling dangerous lies, misinformation, and his far-right agenda,” Hochul’s release read.
The New York governor also claimed that Zeldin “will be joined by top anti-abortion advocates, NRA enthusiasts, and a cast of extremist groups.”
Hochul urged her supporters to “RSVP to hear about Zeldin’s ‘Election Integrity Task Force,’ and his recent election fraud scandal in which his campaign photocopied over 11,000 duplicate petition signatures.”
“You sent your supporters after him. And they came,” Schwartz tweeted.
You sent your supporters after him. And they came. https://t.co/hoTKsqcPxe pic.twitter.com/K7Z1VptMTk
— Arthur Schwartz (@ArthurSchwartz) July 22, 2022
“Governor, you seemed to suggest there should have been vigilante violence by inaccurately describing that campaign event as filled with ‘far-right extremists,’” Andy Ngo tweeted. “That is the same language and dog whistle used by Antifa militants to urge comrades to injure or kill targets.”
Governor, you seemed to suggest there should have been vigilante violence by inaccurately describing that campaign event as filled with “far-right extremists.” That is the same language and dog whistle used by Antifa militants to urge comrades to injure or kill targets. pic.twitter.com/OXhXh5J73c
— Andy Ngô ?️? (@MrAndyNgo) July 22, 2022
Discussion about this post