Disgraced ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s former controversial prime aide Melissa DeRosa unloaded on Democrat Kathy Hochul Tuesday, accusing the present governor of failing to handle subway crime.
“Voters reply to management. And so they reply to an absence of management. Proper now, the silence out of … the governor’s workplace on subway crime is deafening,” DeRosa mentioned on WABC 770 AM John Catsimatidis’ “Cats at Evening Present.”
DeRosa continued, “The truth is folks need to really feel secure. That’s their proper. Yesterday morning, I noticed on the information that anyone was pushed onto the subway observe. Thank God the individual was rescued. Hochul [then] places out her schedule, and he or she says that she’s going to be making a public service announcement. I used to be really hopeful, like, lastly, they’re going to say one thing about crime and the MTA. And what does she do? She does a press convention on catalytic converters.”
The failure of Hochul and the Democrats’ who rule state authorities to adequately tackle crime is the rationale Republican Lee Zeldin is narrowing the hole with Hochul in latest polls, in keeping with DeRosa, who was a central determine in scandals that helped push Cuomo to resign as governor final 12 months.
“As we’re getting nearer to Election Day, and as crime and the financial system proceed to be top-of-mind for folks….you’re seeing Lee Zeldin decide up steam,” the previous secretary to the governor – which is the highest appointed place within the state – to Cuomo mentioned.
By comparability, she mentioned, Democratic incumbent Sen. Chuck Schumer has held a constant double-digit lead over Republican opponent Joe Pinion, a former Newsmax host.
DeRosa mentioned lefty politicians like Hochul have been “placing their heads within the sand” with regards to the fears New Yorkers have about rising crime.
“Until the politicians, Hochul particularly … get sensible to this … I feel they’re going to have an uncomfortably shut Election Day,” DeRosa mentioned of Hochul, who she anticipated would nonetheless beat Zeldin this November.
“It’s extra what Hochul isn’t saying…. She has been fully absent from the dialog, virtually as if she has completely nothing to do with it. The truth is no one cares if the practice is on time in case you’re apprehensive about getting shot on the practice,” she mentioned.
“When there are actually massive issues, politicians generally tend to duck them once they suppose they will’t resolve them … However that is one that isn't going away.”
Hochul’s workplace and marketing campaign declined to remark Tuesday evening.
“We've been laser-focused on combating crime since my first day in workplace working intently with the mayor [Eric Adams]. The mayor and the police division are accountable for policing town subways, however we've got supplied our full help, whether or not it’s folks with psychological well being issues and embedding state groups with the native groups,” Hochul advised reporters Monday whereas defending her report on crime.
Hochul additionally took credit score for the plan to put in video cameras on the subways “so folks have that sense of safety, including, “so we’ll proceed to be sturdy companions with Mayor Adams and our efforts to ensure folks know that our subways proceed to be secure.”
Hochul grew to become governor after Cuomo resigned final 12 months beneath the specter of impeachment amid allegations of sexual misconduct that he has denied.
DeRosa has reemerged within the public eye in latest months as a political pundit whereas her former boss makes an attempt a comeback of his personal as a podcaster following tumultuous occasions final 12 months that drove them each from Albany.
Throughout the top of the COVID-19 pandemic, DeRosa performed a significant function as secretary to the governor within the state’s response to it, together with the administration’s alleged cover-up of nursing-home COVID-19 deaths.
As The Put up completely reported in February 2021, DeRosa privately apologized to Democratic lawmakers for withholding the state’s COVID-19 nursing dwelling loss of life toll from them — admitting “we froze” out of concern that the true numbers would “be used towards us” by federal prosecutors.
DeRosa, together with Cuomo, is a defendant in a category motion wrongful loss of life swimsuit filed on behalf of nursing dwelling residents who contracted COVID-19 in services. Critics claimed a Cuomo administration edict that required nursing properties to just accept recovering COVID-19 sufferers from hospitals contributed to infections and deaths of residents there, which the governor and state well being officers disputed.
In the meantime, a New York State trooper who accused Cuomo of groping her sued him and DeRosa in February, alleging the governor “violated” her and his right-hand girl helped cowl it up. DeRosa’s lawyer mentioned she hardly ever interacted with the trooper and did nothing mistaken.
Charlotte Bennett, a former assistant to Cuomo and one among his outspoken harassment accusers, filed a discrimination swimsuit towards him, DeRosa and two others advisers final month. Bennett claimed DeRosa and different prime feminine aides contributed to the poisonous work setting for girls within the govt chamber.
DeRosa resigned from her place as Cuomo’s prime aide a number of days earlier than he did, shortly after the state Lawyer Normal Letitia James’s workplace launched the 168-page sexual harassment report that claimed discovered the ex-gov harassed or mistreated 11 ladies.
The report describes how DeRosa took an lively function in dismissing the accusations from present and former aides towards the governor.
Cuomo and DeRosa have denied wrongdoing.
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