Chris Christie: The attack may catapult Zeldin to victory
Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie on Rep. Lee Zeldin, R-N.Y. getting attacked while on the campaign trail.
Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie argued on Friday that New York’s bail reform failure and the attack on Rep. Lee Zeldin, R-N.Y., could "catapult" the congressman to victory in the gubernatorial election.
"You add to it this revolving door bail reform that they did in New York that is foolhardy and always has been. And everybody from the beginning, who knows anything about law enforcement, has said that this is wrong," Christie told "The Brian Kilmeade Show."
"Because people are seeing this every day in their neighborhoods all across the state of New York, and they're tired of it. And they're tired of the woke liberalism that's personified by D.A. Bragg in Manhattan and all these other woke legislators."
The man who allegedly attacked Zeldin with a sharp object at a campaign stop in Perinton, New York, Thursday evening was charged with a felony and released from custody within hours of his arrest, the Monroe County Sheriff’s Department said.
Congressman Lee Zeldin stands on stage during his stump speech, before an alleged attack on him, in Fairport, New York, United States, July 21, 2022. Ian Winner/Handout via REUTERS (Ian Winner/Handout via REUTERS )
The suspect, identified as David G. Jakubonis, 43 of Fairport, N.Y., was charged with attempted assault in the second degree.
He was arraigned in Perinton Town Court and released on his own recognizance, the sheriff’s department said.
Zeldin, who is the Republican candidate for governor in New York, predicted the alleged attacker would be released.
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Christie said New York’s soft-on-crime policies have become outrageous.
"So you can publicly urinate on the streets in New York and a cop can't arrest you for it. You can be sitting on a street corner in New York and be shooting up heroin and a cop cannot arrest you for it. That's what the city council in New York has done. This is outrageous."
Earlier on the show, Zeldin told Kilmeade he was able to use his training as a black belt to defend against the attacker until bystanders intervened.
Fox News Brie Stimson contributed to this report.
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