Politics

Andrew Cuomo Rips Rep. Ocasio-Cortez Over ‘Factually Impossible’ Claims

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Democratic New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo ripped Democratic New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Tuesday after the congresswoman blamed rising crime rates on poverty.

Ocasio-Cortez blamed rising crime rates in New York City on residents struggling to pay rent, but Cuomo noted that evictions in the state have been paused amid the coronavirus pandemic. (RELATED: Andrew Cuomo Defends Christopher Columbus Statue, Says It Represents ‘Italian-American Legacy’)

“People have theories. An incorrect theory doesn’t wind up being correct because there’s a void,” Cuomo said. “I think there are a number of contributing factors.”

“It is factually impossible that somebody committed a crime so they could pay their rent,” the governor continued. “If you can’t pay your rent, you cannot be evicted right now.”

Ocasio-Cortez made her comments Monday after a violent weekend in New York City, which included the shooting death of a 1-year-old child. New York is one of several major American cities that has experienced a dramatic rise in violent crime amid activist calls to defund the police. The city has experienced a 21% increase in homicides and a 46% increase in shootings in the first six months of 2020. (RELATED: Over 60 Shot, 11 Dead In Another Violent Chicago Weekend)

New York City passed a budget earlier in July, which stripped $1 billion in funding from the New York Police Department (NYPD). Cuomo signed sweeping police reforms last month, which included a ban on police chokeholds, and a repeal of a law which kept disciplinary records of police officers secret.