Lee Zeldin Goes AWOL in Congress, Misses Votes Supporting Law Enforcement to Campaign
NEW YORK – Lyin’ Lee is at it again, grandstanding as a “tough on crime” candidate who supports police officers but only as a political talking point. Last month, Zeldin failed to vote on three important crime bills in Congress that would support members of law enforcement’s ability to investigate crimes.
According to the Daily Beast, Zeldin “did not even vote” and instead decided to film a campaign social media post in front of the Lincoln Memorial. One of the bills “seeks in part to make police departments better able to investigate unsolved gun homicides and non-fatal shootings.” The report continued, “Zeldin got a chance to support law enforcement on Sept. 22, when H.R. 5768 and two other crime bills came before the House… He instead did nothing at all.”
“Lee Zeldin was missing in action in Congress when he had the chance to vote for commonsense policies that would support our law enforcement,” said Campaign Spokesperson Jerrel Harvey. “Instead of doing his job and working to strengthen public safety, Zeldin was on the campaign trail trying to score political points. He can’t be trusted to keep New Yorkers safe.”
Highlights from the story below:
Daily Beast: ‘Tough-on-Crime’ Rep. Lee Zeldin Didn’t Vote on Police Bills
By Michael Daly, 10/21/22
[…] But on a single day last month, Zeldin did not even vote on three important crime bills that came before the House of Representatives. […]
“NOT VOTING,” the Clerk of the U.S. The House of Representatives noted next to Zeldin’s name in the official roll call for each bill on Sept. 22.
Zeldin’s campaign and his congressional office did not respond to numerous inquiries about why he did not vote, whether he was on the House floor, or what he was doing instead. […]
Another post—at 3:55 p.m., when his colleagues in the House were debating one of the three bills—included a video clip that shows Zeldin in front of the Lincoln Memorial, though it’s unclear when that was filmed. […]
The bill in question was H.R. 5768, the Violent Incident Clearance and Technological Investigative Methods (VICTIM) Act of 2022. It seeks in part to make police departments better able to investigate unsolved gun homicides and non-fatal shootings—such as the one earlier this month that left two teens wounded outside Zeldin’s Long Island house while his twin 16-year-old daughters were alone at home doing their schoolwork. […]
The matter came to a vote and the clerk recorded the result at 4:50 p.m.: 250 in favor and 178 opposed. The outcome would have been the same if Zeldin had voted, but that is not the point. Zeldin is someone who had declared his total and unwavering support for law enforcement while standing just outside the House chamber on the day a Trumpist mob stormed the Capitol.
Zeldin is someone who had declared his total and unwavering support for law enforcement while standing just outside the House chamber on the day a Trumpist mob stormed the Capitol.
“I’m here in the Rotunda, which right now is filled with FBI and other law enforcement, not used to being here on a night like tonight,” he said while appearing live on Fox News from a crime scene where hundreds of police officers had just been assaulted.
“This isn’t just about the President of the United States. This is about people on the left and their double standards, that you’ve been pointing out. Doing the right thing too, and supporting our law enforcement 365, not just when politically expedient.”
Zeldin got a chance to support law enforcement on Sept. 22, when H.R. 5768 and two other crime bills came before the House. HR 4118, The Break the Cycle of Violence Act, would provide support for violence reduction programs. Only one Republican voted in favor of the bill, which passed to applause from the Brady Campaign. […]
At least two of the measures would unquestionably assist the police. Had Zeldin doubted that any of the legislation would assist the fight against crime, he could have expressed that with a “no” vote. A “yes” vote would have signaled his belief that this was the way to go.
He instead did nothing at all. His people will not explain why. […]
And a congressman who failed to vote on three major crime bills in September is out there promising to do something about crime in the first 100 minutes if enough people vote in November to make him the next governor.