New York Gov. Kathy Hochul Criticized for Subway Safety Tweet
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul faced backlash for a tweet boasting about her subway safety improvements shortly after a tragic incident where a sleeping straphanger was set on fire aboard a Brooklyn train on Sunday.
Hochul, a Democrat, received criticism from both sides of the aisle for her social media post celebrating a decrease in subway crime despite recent violent incidents on the subway system.
She tweeted, “In March, I took action to make our subways safer for the millions of people who take the trains each day,” along with photos of her in the transit system with law enforcement and riders.
Rep. Ritchie Torres, a fellow Democrat, questioned the timing of the tweet, highlighting recent violent incidents on the subway system and calling Hochul “tone-deaf.”
Councilman Robert Holden also criticized the tweet, calling it “incredible timing” and questioning Hochul’s competence.
Republicans, including Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, also expressed outrage over the tweet, given the recent violent incidents on the subway system.
The incidents included a fatal stabbing on a 7 train in Queens and a woman being set on fire on an F train in Brooklyn.
Hochul’s office did not immediately respond to the criticism, but she later addressed the outrage in a follow-up tweet, emphasizing the importance of subway safety.
She stated, “Make no mistake: any crime is one too many, even with subway crime going down. We are continuing to surge personnel and resources to make our subways safer.”
