Gov. Cuomo on Trump’s tweets about the NY terror attack: They “were not helpful. I don’t think they were factual” https://t.co/A15pvjqcwZ
— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) November 1, 2017
Not long after a truck driver killed eight people and injured over a dozen more along a popular bike path in lower Manhattan late Tuesday, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio declared the incident “a cowardly act of terror.” In the hours since, investigators have delved into suspect Sayfullo Saipov‘s past, the alleged terrorist who reportedly pledged his allegiance to ISIS in a series of notes recovered from the crime scene. Even so, less than 24 hours have passed since Tuesday’s terrorist attack, and conservative outlets like Fox News (and the pundits they often employ) have already politicized the event and blamed New York Sen. Chuck Schumer.
This is especially true of President Donald Trump, who was evidently responding to Fox News’ morning coverage on Wednesday when he declared, “The terrorist came into our country through what is called the ‘Diversity Visa Lottery Program,’ a Chuck Schumer beauty.” A few hours later, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo responded directly to Trump’s tweets during a press conference, saying they “were not helpful.” Continuing, he said:
“I don’t think they were factual. I think they tended to point fingers and politicize the situation. He was referring back to an immigration policy that dealt with a lottery and blaming people who passed that immigration policy. His tweet wasn’t even accurate, as far as I’m concerned. That was a bipartisan law that was passed that had basically no relevance to the facts of this situation. As I said before, you play into the hands of the terrorists to the extent you disrupt and divide and frighten people in this society. The tone now should be the exact opposite, by all officials on all levels. This is about unification. This is about solidarity. This is about normalization. This is about protection. The last thing it’s about is politics, period.”
As for previous reports that, despite tweeting Tuesday night and Wednesday morning about the incident, Trump hadn’t called Cuomo or De Blasio to discuss the matter, the governor brushed it off. “I am not bothered that the president didn’t call,” he said. “I am bothered by an attempt by anyone to try to politicize this situation. That plays right into the hands of the terrorists.”
(Via CNN)