Lee Zeldin, N.Y. GOP Candidate For Governor, Calls For Action On Bad Bail Reform And Crime

 

Bo Dietl is ready to pack his bags and move to Florida if Gov. Hochul wins a full term in office in November.

The former NYPD detective and failed mayoral candidate said he’s considering relocating to the Sunshine State on Wednesday as he unleashed a fiery endorsement of GOP gubernatorial candidate Lee Zeldin at a Manhattan rally.

“If he doesn’t become the governor, I’m moving to Florida because I’m sick and tired of this governor and this state with these liberal values, bail reform, this is what we need,” Dietl said, ripping into Hochul as he introduced Zeldin outside of a Hamilton Heights bodega.

The one-time Arby’s spokesman turned private investigator was joined by Guardian Angels founder Curtis Sliwa as Zeldin and a phalanx his supporters hammered Hochul over crime and New York’s cashless bail system.

The Long Island congressman chose Wednesday’s locale as a nod to Jose Alba, a bodega clerk initially charged with murder for fatally stabbing an attacker during an altercation inside the store. Charges against Alba were dropped by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office last month.

Zeldin has vowed to remove Bragg, a Democrat accused of being soft on crime, should he defeat Hochul in the general election. He also called on the Democrat-led Legislature to roll back bail reforms, something leaders in Albany have said they have no interest in doing after twice amending the statutes in recent years.

“Right now, the state Legislature should be in session up in Albany and they should be taking action, fighting for New Yorkers desperate for leadership,” Zeldin said.

His call comes a week after Mayor Adams joined NYPD brass to call out repeat offenders they said are taking advantage of the current bail system and committing a disproportionate amount of crime in the Big Apple.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams and NYPD Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell call out repeated offenders under the current bail laws in Manhattan, New York on Aug. 3, 2022. (ED REED/Mayoral Photography Office)

Adams is one of a handful of moderate Dems joining Republicans in calling for further rollbacks to bail reform, jailing more repeat offenders and granting judges the ability to detain more people pretrial.

Sliwa, who ran a failed mayoral campaign of his own last year against Adams, took the opportunity to paint Hochul as out-of-touch and accused her and Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado, a former Hudson Valley congressman, of being unable to navigate the Big Apple without a security detail.

“If they didn’t have State Troopers and GPS to take them around New York City, they’d be lost,” he said. “You think they could take a subway ride in New York City without having an Exlax attack and getting lost?”

Prior to the June primary, Sliwa backed Andrew Giuliani, the son of former mayor Rudy Giuliani over Zeldin but is now in Zeldin’s corner.

Hochul, meanwhile, took a shot at Dietl’s potential future home state and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis as she signed a package of bills related to Holocaust survivors and education.

“Florida is overrated,” Hochul joked as she encouraged Jewish New Yorkers to stay in the Empire State. “I shouldn’t say this but look at the governor, start at the top down. I’ll get in trouble, gotta stay on script.”

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