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Lee Zeldin’s Life Put On The Line After ‘Dog Whistle’ From Hochul, Daily Caller Reporter Says

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Daily Caller reporter Brianna Lyman joined Friday’s edition of “John Bachman Now” to discuss Democratic New York Gov. Kathy Hochul’s statement following the attempted assassination of her opponent Republican Rep. Lee Zeldin.

“My team has informed me about the incident at Lee Zeldin’s campaign event tonight,” Hochul tweeted Thursday. “Relieved to hear that Congressman Zeldin was not injured and that the suspect is in custody. I condemn this violent behavior in the strongest terms possible — it has no place in New York.”

The statement came after the governor issued a press release which shared Zeldin’s bus tour schedule. A field director for the Zeldin campaign said he believed the press release was a “motivating factor” in the attack. Hochul previously released an ad calling her opponent a “far-right extremist.”

During the interview, Bachman noted in the statement that Hochul is receiving criticism for her “tersely-worded” press release. “Is that criticism fair?” He asked Lyman. 

“Absolutely,” Lyman responded. “And first let me say that the fact that his would-be assassin was let out of jail just hours after this attempt is the best example as to why Lee Zeldin should be elected as next governor of New York.” (RELATED: Man Who Allegedly Tried To Stab Rep. Lee Zeldin Let Out Of Jail)

Lyman referenced Hochul’s previous campaign ad.

“More importantly, her press release came across almost as a dog whistle. She used the terms ‘dangerous’ and ‘far-right extremist,’ and we know that democrats have been using the term ‘extremist’ to define Republicans for the better part of two years, right? That’s why the department of justice has weaponized, you know, parents at school board meetings as extremists,” Lyman said. “So, this is nothing new for the Democratic Party. But the fact that she put the statement out and then hours later a man tries to assassinate a sitting congressman is very concerning.”