Tipsheet

Kathy Hochul's Fellow New York Officials Sure Have Something to Say About Her 'Tone-Deaf' Posts

Rebecca Downs
Rebecca Downs  |  December 23, 2024 12:30 PM

On Sunday, as Matt covered, a woman was set on fire and killed on the subway train in New York City. To make matters worse, the suspect is from Guatemala. The violent crime came on the same day that Gov. Kathy Hochul (D-NY) put out the most tone-deaf posts on the matter. Hochul had even been touting how safe the subways supposedly are, when they're evidently not so safe after all. Posts from Hochul and the New York Daily News have been hit with Community Notes, and there have been trending topics over X about the violent crime. Among those chiming in have been fellow New York politicians, and from both sides of the aisle.

Rep. Ritchie Torres is a fellow Democrat, but that didn't stop him from calling the governor out. In his first post about the matter on Sunday, he posted footage of the horrific incident, calling the suspect "a demented man."

"In New York, dangerous people are allowed to freely roam the subway. Yet the political establishment insists on gaslighting the public with deceptive headlines: 'crime is down' and 'the subways are safe,'" he also said in his post. 

That same thread also contained a screenshot of a post from The New York Post that came out just last week about Mayor Eric Adams confronting Hochul on "involuntary removals of mentally ill in NYC."

"I will reiterate what I have said repeatedly and what strikes most New Yorkers as common sense," Torres posted. "The State of New York, including the Governor, must give the Mayor the authority he needs to involuntary [sic] remove dangerous people from the subways and streets of New York.  We cannot prevent every tragedy, to be sure, but the right public policy can radically reduce its probability."

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Another post called out Hochul even more strongly, as Torres shared a screenshot of her Instagram post in which the governor was all smiles as she rode the subway and took selfies. Such a post actually bragged about actions Hochul took in March and claimed that "crime is going down, and ridership is going up."

Torres lambasted the governor for her "victory lap," as he also mentioned that two subway riders had been stabbed, in addition to the fire that killed the victim. One of the stabbing victims was killed. Torres' post also asked a curious question, and about the governor of his own party: "Has there ever been a more tone-deaf Governor in the history of New York?"

On the other side of the aisle is Republican Rep. Mike Lawler. As of Monday morning, he's posted five times about the incident. 

"We must prosecute violent criminals & repeat offenders; end cashless bail & enact a dangerousness standard; empower the police," Lawler posted in part, as he shared an article from The Post. Such matters have certainly been tricky in soft-on-crime New York City. "New Yorkers should be outraged at the gross incompetence of its elected leaders," he added.

Another post called out Hochul quite strongly, as the congressman reposted the governor. "You are the single most inept Governor in the country and should be ashamed at the gross incompetence of your administration’s handling of public safety in New York," he noted.

Still, another post from Lawler was also a quoted repost of the governor. Hochul actually bragged that "Our brand-new security cameras helped law enforcement find the suspect and arrest him."

The congressman brought up how New York has had something of a bad habit with crime. "Your brand-new security cameras aren’t the issue — it’s the failure to prosecute violent criminals and repeat offenders and the failure to empower law enforcement to do their jobs. It’s time to change the failed law, support the cops, protect victims, and put criminals in jail," he charged.

Another post also commented on how the suspect is from Guatemala. It's thus not merely a soft-on-crime issue in New York, but a failure on immigration. 

In the post, which tagged ICE as well as Hochul's and Adam's official accounts, Lawler insisted that "New York must immediately end its disastrous sanctuary state & city policies & fully cooperate with ⁦@ICEgov⁩. Our federal immigration laws must be enforced & criminal aliens must be prosecuted & deported." 

A Siena College poll from earlier this month showed that a majority of New Yorkers (54-35 percent), actually want the state to support the federal government when it comes to the federal government's efforts under the incoming Trump administration to deport illegal immigrants. 

Another post, from Sunday night, also contained a statement from Lawler. "For Governor Hochul to claim today that she’s reducing subway crime when a woman was literally burned alive by a migrant this morning is absolutely appalling," his post also mentioned. 

"Governor Hochul's refusal to repeal both New York's absurd sanctuary state policies and laws enabling repeat offenders to be released to re-offend again and again isn't just sad, it's literally putting New Yorkers' lives at risk. New York deserves a Governor who will protect them from criminal illegal migrants and repeat criminal offenders," the congressman's statement read. 

That same Siena College poll showed that Hochul continues to be unpopular in New York. A majority, at 57 percent, want "someone else" as governor for the 2026 election. Not even a majority of her fellow Democrats want her to run again, as 48 percent say that they do. Lawler and Torres' names were both mentioned in the poll. 

Back in September, The Post put out an article speaking to the rise of murders on the way, to the point of reaching a 25-year high:

Murders across the city’s subway system have surged 60% so far this year — a troubling trend as overall crime on the rails has dipped.

Eight people have been slaughtered on subway cars or in stations as of Sept. 8, up from just five during the same period last year, according to NYPD data. 

The spike in killings is approaching the 25-year high set in 2022, with 10 murders. 

...

Total subway crime has decreased nearly 6% this year compared with the same period in 2023, with robberies down about 18% and felony assaults dropping nearly 5%, according to an NYPD spokesperson.

The piece also included mention of a professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, who, like Lawler in his posts, mentioned the role of police. "Joseph Giacalone, an adjunct professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, attributed the persistence in murders to a combination of “worn out” police force, as well as a brain-drain of veteran transit officers due to cops resigning or retiring," The Post mentioned.