Daily News Editorial Board Calls Out Lee Zeldin: Wants to Have it Both Ways

NEW YORK – The Daily News Editorial Board called out Lee Zeldin for falsely claiming he could “wave a wand” and single-handedly overturn several New York crime laws on day one. The Editorial Board also pointed out an area where Zeldin could do a lot of damage — severely restricting abortion access in New York, an issue that Zeldin has repeatedly tried to downplay. Lee Zeldin is trying to deceive voters by having it both ways — whichever one gets him more votes. Fortunately, New Yorkers are smart enough to see through Zeldin’s lies.

Lee Zeldin has claimed that on “day one” he would “suspend the state’s cashless bail law, discovery law changes, HALT Act, Less is More, & Raise the Age.” As the Daily News Editorial Board points out, a governor has no power to unilaterally do so. And despite his denials, Zeldin would have the power to curb vital access to abortion services in New York. Based on his record and closed door promises to anti-abortion groups, he likely would.

Highlights from the story below:

Daily News: Two sides of Zeldin’s mouth: The GOP candidate for governor wants to have it both ways on abortion and crime
By Daily News Editorial Board, 10/21/22

[…] in no world does a governor have the authority to single-handedly shelve duly passed laws. […]

So when Zeldin says he can wave a wand and stop enforcing five major laws, don’t believe him.

Zeldin also strains credulity when, trying to calm the fears of New York voters who were overwhelmingly appalled by the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade, he insists that there’s nothing he can really do to change state abortion law. […]

In the U.S. House, Zeldin has been a stalwart anti-abortion voice — supporting, among other things, a ban after 20 weeks that did not include an exception for the health of the mother. His votes in 2021 and 2022 earned him a spotless A+ rating from Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America.

Will such a true believer with an expansive understanding of a governor’s authority really be unwilling or unable to curb reproductive rights in New York? […]

If Zeldin were to follow through on his convictions, there are a half-dozen ways to imagine him making it harder for women, and especially poor women who rely on government funds, to exercise their right to choose.

Don’t buy Zeldin’s claims of absolute power on criminal justice reform — or his claims of powerlessness on abortion.