During a campaign event in Fairport, New York, on Thursday, a man attempted to stab gubernatorial candidate Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-NY).
According to local reports, Zeldin was giving a speech about bail reform at the “Unite to Fire Hochul” bus tour stop when a man went on stage, began yelling, “wrestled with him a bit, and pulled a blade out.”
On July 21, the day of the attack, Hochul’s campaign sent a press advisory characterized by at least one New York reporter as “very unusual.” The advisory included fiery language castigating Zeldin’s values and calling her opponent an “extremist” who is “peddling dangerous lies, misinformation, and his far-right agenda.”
Here’s how Hochul’s emailed advisory described Zeldin’s weekend stops:
On Thursday, July 21, 2022, “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. At stops during the tour, Zeldin will be joined by top anti-abortion advocates, NRA enthusiasts, and a cast of extremist groups.
The advisory continued with more inflammatory language before listing out Rep. Zeldin’s schedule for this weekend including dates and times along with calls to “RSVP” for the events — including Thursday evening’s campaign stop at which he was attacked by a man who was subsequently charged with a felony and released under the state’s woke bail laws. “You’re done,” the assailant told Zeldin as he began his attack.
Hochul responded to the attack and condemned the “violent behavior in the strongest terms possible,” though she did not say anything about her campaign’s inflammatory language about Zeldin before the assault.
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