From lies at the debate and attacks after it Lee Zeldin wants to talk about anything but his own record

As outsider Harry Wilson has surged in the polls and presented a clear contrast to insider career politician Lee Zeldin, Zeldin has increasingly attacked Harry Wilson in an effort to distract from Zeldin’s failed record. The last thing Lee Zeldin wants to talk about is his partnership with Andrew Cuomo and his failures in Albany that have hurt New York families.

“Cuomo clone Lee Zeldin voted for every Cuomo budget while he was in Albany,” Wilson said. “Cuomo clone Lee Zeldin voted for Cuomo’s tax hikes, corporate welfare plans, and cuts to law enforcement funding. Now Lee Zeldin wants to talk about anything other than his failure to stand up to Andrew Cuomo. Instead of fighting for smaller government and lower taxes, Lee Zeldin rolled over and went along with Andrew Cuomo again and again.”

Cuomo Clone Lee Zeldin Lie #1: Claiming the attacks about his ties to Cuomo are “Ridiculous”
Facts: When Cuomo Clone Lee Zeldin was in the state legislature, he voted for every Cuomo budget.[1] He voted with Andrew Cuomo to raise taxes and reduce law enforcement funding.[2]  Zeldin even appeared with Cuomo at an event and said “if [Andrew Cuomo] were in the White House right now, our nation would be in a better place today.”[3]

Cuomo Clone Lee Zeldin Lie #2: “I never voted for the Cuomo budgets”
Facts: At the debate, Lee Zeldin, in response to Rob Astorino, said he never voted for the Cuomo budgets. Senate voting records show clearly that he voted in favor of every budget while he was in the legislature.[4]

Cuomo Clone Lee Zeldin Lie #3: His opponents are lying about him in their paid advertisements
Facts: Lee Zeldin told the New York Post after the debate that Wilson was lying about him in his advertisements. The truth is Lee Zeldin voted for every Cuomo budget, voted to raise taxes, and voted to reduce law enforcement funding. Every single claim in every single ad is documented and footnoted, as clearly shown in the ads themselves and in contrast to Zeldin’s latest ad, which has multiple claims about himself that are not documented or supported in any way. He even said that the nation would be better off with Andrew Cuomo in the White House.[5] When Zeldin criticizes the ads, he never repudiates the sourcing – which is 100% accurate – but instead merely says they are not true, which tells you everything you need to know about the (total lack of) truthfulness of his response.

Cuomo Clone Lie #4: Saying He Didn’t Cut Funding for the Police
Facts: In the debate, Lee Zeldin said it was a lie that he voted for less funding for the police. Senate voting records, though, show that Zeldin voted for reduced law enforcement funding[6] and in Congress he voted against funding for the NYPD – he was the only New York Republican to do so.[7]

Cuomo Clone Lee Zeldin Lie #5: Saying that he didn’t ask Harry Wilson to be on his ticket.
Facts: At the debate, in order to highlight the hypocrisy of Zeldin questioning his conservative credentials, Harry Wilson shared that Cuomo Clone Lee Zeldin asked Wilson to be on his ticket in a call on January 12, 2022.  Zeldin denied this and started attacking Wilson, even though he knows it is true (and Wilson highlighted it to others at the time). Here is Wilson’s summary:

“As I have shown in contemporaneous notes which I also discussed with others around the same time, on January 12th, Mr. Zeldin told me that he was a “Harry Wilson fan,” that I was “massively talented” and a “fantastic candidate” and asked me if I would consider serving as the 2022 comptroller candidate because he wanted to “put together an insider ticket to win everything.” I politely declined his suggestion. I raised it on the debate stage on Monday night to highlight the rank hypocrisy demonstrated by Mr. Zeldin’s dishonest attacks. He has tried to question my conservative bonafides, which are far more solid than his own suspect voting record over the last 12 years. By highlighting that he asked me to join his ticket, it makes clear that Mr. Zeldin is manufacturing all of his attacks solely because he will say or do anything to get elected and is trying to dishonestly mischaracterize me in order to slow my rapid rise in the race. He can’t compete on substance or qualifications, so he will even lie about someone with whom he has campaigned, whom he asked to serve on his ticket AND from whom he solicited donations many times in the past.”

Cuomo Clone Lee Zeldin Lie #6: Wilson is a “Never Trumper”

Facts: Wilson voted for President Trump over Hillary Clinton in 2016. In fact, he restructured one of Trump’s companies many years ago.
Wilson supported the vast majority of the President’s policies. In 2020, he did write in Nikki Haley, a conservative Republican and successful governor, for President.

As President Reagan used to say, “My 80% friend is not my 20% enemy.” Wilson is not, and has never been, a Never Trumper. Zeldin, by contrast, voted more with Andrew Cuomo in Albany than he did with President Trump while in Washington.[8] Even more hypocritically, Zeldin is the only candidate on record openly sympathizing with the “Never Trump” movement.[9] And he was one of the last members of Congress to endorse the President in 2016.

Cuomo Clone Lee Zeldin Lie #7: Wilson is pro-mandate, and, as a result, he mandated vaccines at Genesis Healthcare

Facts: As CEO of one of the largest nursing home chains in the country with responsibility for approximately 40,000 employees and 20,000 patients, Wilson had to prepare for a Biden Administration mandate requiring all nursing home employees to be vaccinated. Wilson opposes government mandates and mandates for public employees and would rehire all state employees terminated due to vaccine mandates with back pay. As a limited government conservative, he also believes government should not be dictating mandate requirements to private businesses.

Cuomo Clone Lee Zeldin Lie #8: Wilson is a two-time Obama appointee
During the Great Financial Crisis, the country was on the verge of a second Great Depression. The Bush Administration had extended a lifeline to General Motors and Chrysler; Wilson feared Treasury bureaucrats would mismanage the process, cost taxpayers hundreds of billions of dollars and make the situation far worse. To prevent this and to help save the American economy, Wilson stepped forward for what became the Auto Task Force and had lead responsibility for the restructuring of General Motors, the largest and most successful industrial turnaround ever. Wilson never voted for Obama and in fact voted for, donated to and raised money for his Republican opponents, McCain and Romney, in 2008 and 2012. After Wilson’s incredible success in helping save 1 million American jobs, Senate Republicans recommended Wilson for an appointment to the Advisory Committee of the PBGC, which required presidential approval.

Cuomo Clone Lee Zeldin Lie #9: Wilson Supports Radical Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg
Wilson has said, from the moment he was first asked in January, that Alvin Bragg’s policies are unacceptable, that he is failing the people of Manhattan and that, as governor, Wilson would remove Bragg using his authority under Article XIII of the New York State Constitution. Over two years ago, and long before his positions had been laid out, Wilson gave Bragg, whom he knew from college 30 years ago, a one-time donation. He never supported his policies in any way. 

[1] (S2800E, Passed Senate, 3/29/11, Zeldin Voted Aye), (A9050D, Passed Senate, 3/30/12, Zeldin Voted Aye), (S2600, Passed Senate, 3/27/13, Zeldin Voted Aye), (A8550E, Passed Senate, 3/31/14, Zeldin Voted Aye)[2](A9700D/S6600C, New York State Senate, Signed By Governor 6/22/10; S2800E/A4000E, New York State Senate, 3/29/11, Zeldin Voted Aye; SFY 2011-12 Enacted Budget Summary, New York State Senate, 4/13/11; S6250D/A9050D, New York State Senate, 3/30/12, Zeldin Voted Aye; S2600E/A3000E, New York State Senate, 3/27/13, Zeldin Voted Aye)[3] Lee Zeldin, Remarks At Press Conference Announcing Saltwater Fishing License Fee Refund, Freeport, NY, 8/5/11, Minute 9:21-9:51[4] (S2800E, Passed Senate, 3/29/11, Zeldin Voted Aye), (A9050D, Passed Senate, 3/30/12, Zeldin Voted Aye), (S2600, Passed Senate, 3/27/13, Zeldin Voted Aye), (A8550E, Passed Senate, 3/31/14, Zeldin Voted Aye)[5] (Lee Zeldin, Remarks At Press Conference Announcing Saltwater Fishing License Fee Refund, Freeport, NY, 8/5/11) Minute 9:21-9:51[6](A9700D/S6600C, New York State Senate, Signed By Governor 6/22/10; S2800E/A4000E, New York State Senate, 3/29/11, Zeldin Voted Aye; SFY 2011-12 Enacted Budget Summary, New York State Senate, 4/13/11; S6250D/A9050D, New York State Senate, 3/30/12, Zeldin Voted Aye; S2600E/A3000E, New York State Senate, 3/27/13, Zeldin Voted Aye)[7]https://clerk.house.gov/evs/2022/roll065.xml[8]https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/congress-trump-score/lee-zeldin/ ; https://subscriber.politicopro.com/article/2022/06/zeldin-voted-with-cuomo-less-often-than-most-lawmakers-00039576[9] VIDEO: In June 2016, Zeldin said, “I completely get everyone who has been behind Never-Trump movement this entire time.” (“CNN At This Hour,” 6/7/16)