New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is not pleased with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s claim that shoplifting is a necessity for citizens looking to pay rent.
The intra-party strife between the Democrats stems from recent comments by Ms. Ocasio-Cortez regarding the correlation between slashed law enforcement budgets, the coronavirus pandemic, and rising crime in The Big Apple.
“Maybe this has to do with the fact that people aren’t paying their rent,” the congresswoman said over the weekend. “[They’re] scared to pay their rent. So they go out and they need to feed their child and they don’t have money so … they feel like they either need to shoplift some bread or go hungry.”
Mr. Cuomo bristled at the theory.
“People have theories,” he told reporters Tuesday. “An incorrect theory doesn’t wind up being correct because there’s a void. I think there are a number of contributing factors.”
His comments came less than 24 hours after 17 people were shot in New York City. One Brooklyn cop told the New York Post that such numbers are “astronomical” for a Monday.
“It is factually impossible that somebody committed a crime so they could pay their rent,” Mr. Cuomo told reporters. “If you can’t pay your rent, you cannot be evicted right now.”
Cuomo refutes AOC: “It’s factually impossible that somebody committed a crime so they could pay their rent.” pic.twitter.com/0SKOYUe0NP
— The Hill (@thehill) July 14, 2020
• Douglas Ernst can be reached at dernst@washingtontimes.com.
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