On July 21, 2022, during a campaign stop, Gubernatorial Republican hopeful, Congressman Lee Zeldin was attacked by an unhinged man brandishing an edged weapon, who lunged for Mr. Zeldin’s neck. Congressman Zeldin managed to block the attack, and the attacker was subdued by members of the audience. Mr. Zeldin escaped injury, finished his speech, and in my humble opinion, to borrow slang vernacular, he handled himself like a Boss.
The suspect, identified as 43-year-old David Jakubonis of Fairport, NY, was disarmed and kept immobile by a number of people in the crowd including Mr. Zeldin’s running mate, Alison Esposito. Jakubonis was armed with a self-defense keychain shaped like a cat’s head with pointed ears held between the knuckles. It cannot be shipped to New York.
I’m pretty sure that this was the last thing Mr. Zeldin expected during the stop at the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post in Perinton, NY.
“After Jakubonis allegedly flashed the weapon and appeared to be wrestling with Zeldin, Chenelly tackled the man to the ground.
‘He reached into his right pocket and pulled out what appeared to be a knife or a razor blade, maybe a boxcutter, and lunged at the congressman,’ Chenelly said.
Jakubonis allegedly shouted ‘You’re done’ as he approached Zeldin, according to the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office.”
In one of the more ironic moments of the day, Mr. Zeldin was in the middle of a speech regarding the mistakes of a cashless bail system when he was attacked by Mr. Jakubonis. As if on cue, Mr. Jakubonis was charged with attempted assault and released on his own recognizance by the Monroe County Sheriff’s Department.
“Jakubonis is charged with: Attempted Assault in the Second Degree (E-Felony) Jakubonis was arraigned in Perinton Town Court and released on his own recognizance.”
NY Governor, Kathy Hochul, tweeted a post regarding the attack.
“My team has informed me about the incident at Lee Zeldin’s campaign event tonight. 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.”
Her Twitter tone sounds like she’s intolerant of violent crime, and should’ve been a comfort to Mr. Zeldin. However, here’s the rub: Governor Hochul’s campaign team sent out an e-mail blast to her supporters, detailing the dates and times of Mr. Zeldin’s scheduled appearances.
“Prior to the Zeldin campaign event, Hochul’s campaign sent out a media advisory, titled “‘Big Lie’ Lee kicks off statewide ‘MAGA Republican’ bus tour,’ to subscribers of its email list. That email, according to NY1 reporter Zack Fink, contained information pertaining to Zeldin’s upcoming campaign events, including the dates and times the events were scheduled to begin.”
This revelation has New York Republicans in an uproar. The accusation is that Governor Hochul’s campaign is actively encouraging her supporters to stalk Mr. Zeldin and incite anger against him. This e-mail blitz was sent out mere hours before Mr. Zeldin was attacked.
“State Republican Party spokesperson Jessica Proud said, ‘The Hochul campaign’s rhetoric was incendiary and over the top. They ginned this up’… The Hochul release also said voters should RSVP to a Sunday event to hear Zeldin discuss his enduring loyalty to Donald Trump, his hard-fought efforts against Trump’s impeachment, his vote against certifying the 2020 presidential election results, and his refusal to support an investigation into the January 6 insurrection.”
After this apparent leak of their derogatory and inflammatory e-mail blast, Governor Hochul’s campaign team has no comment.
Although most of the polls show at least a 15% lead in Governor Hochul’s favor, this latest act of her campaign spurring her supporters to stalk Congressman Zeldin’s scheduled stops stinks of desperation.
