Milwaukee, Wisconsin - July 16, 2024: Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) at the Republican National Convention. (Photo credit: Maxim Elramsisy / Shutterstock)
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) clapped back when confronted with comments by Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) in the wake of the Manhattan mass shooting that claimed the lives of an NYPD police officer and four others.
Stefanik has said she intends to run for governor in the future, but was not ready to make an announcement quite yet.
CNN's Manu Raju read Stefanik's social media posts following the tragedy. She aimed at both Hochul and New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani, calling him "Kathy Hochul’s very own Commie Mamdani" for participating in the 2020 "Defund the Police" campaign.
"We cannot allow radical anti-police dangerous policies to continue to make it less safe for families especially law enforcement officers in New York," Stefanik wrote.
"That's about as pathetic as it gets," said a disgusted Hochul. "I mean, seriously — going after an unelected official who said something back in 2020 when many people were — I mean, come on, give me a break.
"Ask her the question: What are you doing to make your constituents safe?" Hochul said, referring to Stefanik's support of President Donald Trump's Big Beautiful Bill.
"You don't mind taking away their health care. You don't mind education cuts. You don't mind nutrition cuts. You don't mind hurting your farmers. Like, why don't you have some spine and stand up for the people who put you in your spot? And so, that's what I'm looking for. People to not be deflecting. Stand up to the gun lobby and show that you have the courage to do something that's actually pretty useful, instead of just complaining about tweets."
When asked if she supported Mamdani, a democratic socialist who won the Democratic primary for mayor, Hochul deferred to the grieving families of those who were lost on Monday evening.
"I'm sorry, you know, we're not talking politics. This is not the time and place for it," Hochul said. "It's about action and showing compassion and empathy for people's lives who are forever destroyed. And a new baby on the way, who's never going to know the baby's father? I mean, this is what I'm thinking about today, not politics."
NYPD Officer Didarul Islam, 36, was killed in the mass shooting, leaving behind a wife, two children, and an unborn child.