Fox News "The Ingraham Angle" - Transcript: Interview with Lee Zeldin

Interview

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Joining me now is Lee Zeldin, New York congressman and Republican Gubernatorial Candidate. Congressman, is there any doubt looking at things tonight that Cuomo's replacement, the Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul will be just as bad if not worse?

REP. LEE ZELDIN (R-NY): Right. Important point. First off on the scandals, from one scandal to the next, the Lieutenant Governor Andrew Cuomo's Lieutenant had nothing to say. She was silent. I saw it firsthand where it was an embrace of the intimidation, harassment, abuse, that was Andrew Cuomo's claim to fame and he believed that New York loves their Emperor Governors. He would rule by fear. And Kathy Hochul looked up to it and she ended up ascending to lieutenant governor and now governor following it.

And as far as the policies go, I don't expect, once she takes office, that she's going to be advocating for paying people less by the government so that they would return back to work. I don't expect her to repeal cashless bail and keep qualified immunity to help make sure that the handcuffs are on criminals as opposed to law enforcement. I don't expect to making--

INGRAHAM: I want to play - Yes, I want to play, just so our viewers understand who Cathy Hochul is. Watch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KATHY HOCHUL, NEW YORK LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR: Teachers have to get vaccinated so we can get all the kids back in school, priority number one. Shifting our economy toward green energy. Also, we have to look at these systemic injustices that came up through the pandemic. Adult-use cannabis, the legalization of this could hit us - help us in a number of ways.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

INGRAHAM: Congressman, vaccine mandates, climate activism, pot legalization, so this is what's going to turn New York around, finally turn it around?

ZELDIN: Yes. No way. And Bill de Blasio just did this in New York City where he wants to impose the vaccine mandates and the passports were that struggling small business owner that is barely alive right now has to now turn down a good paying customer you can't allow in. And we're going to bring in a governor who has made it clear that she looks up to this style of governance from Andrew Cuomo. She's not going to take on Bill de Blasio from that front.

And you're pointing it out with regards to the vaccine mandates what is to come when you're out of touch is that you're going to end up making more New Yorkers look to places like Florida, where your money goes further, people feel safer. They're living life freer. And as you pointed out, they're going to use their feet and flee and not look back.

INGRAHAM: And I mean it is shocking when you look at the actual numbers of unemployed New Yorkers versus the numbers proportionally of unemployed Floridians. I mean, these are just numbers. These are - you cannot debate this. They are killing New York.

When I saw he resigned today, you know what I said, Lee? The entire Democratic Party in New York, all of Albany, they should all resign. They have destroyed what is a once great state and it has to be rebuilt. I'm sorry. But I love New York, and I'm disgusted with what they've done. Beyond the sexual - beyond even the horrible stuff they did with the old folks homes. That was criminal as it was. But what they've done on every issue is criminal.

ZELDIN: Yes. At the beginning of this year, they got a $12.5 billion monopoly funny money payments sent to them from DC. They should be able to brag about how they're balancing their budget with it. But actually, the budget that was passed at the end of March, beginning of April, not only jacked up spending with that money, but they spent over $2 billion on a new fun for people who aren't even legally in the country.

INGRAHAM: Of course.

ZELDIN: And in order to help pay for that, they increased the taxes on many New Yorkers to the highest income tax rate in the entire country.

INGRAHAM: No one's going to stay, everyone's going to leave. Everyone's going to leave. I just had to point this out really quickly. Something the media will not cover in New York. This is the - these are the numbers. They want numbers. I'm giving you the numbers.

New York COVID hospitalization rates are up 229 percent this month. But what are they focusing on? They're focusing on only Florida, only Texas, overwhelmed hospitals. The vast majority of the tri-state area including all of New York City, New Jersey, Connecticut, now considered higher substantial COVID transmission. So they want to blast the red states, what do they have to say about that, Lee? Final word.

ZELDIN: Final word is that people want freedom and liberty and in order for government to enact a restriction on individual liberty, there's a very high burden that needs to be hit and a common sense smell test. And that's why Ron DeSantis has gotten so many kudos from his own constituents, Floridians, who are saying thank you to the governor and government for letting them live their lives.

INGRAHAM: All right. Thank you, Congressman. Good to see you tonight.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source