New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) rejected rumors that she was asked to leave a slain NYPD officer’s wake, stating that no one told her to leave when she was approached by a mourner on Friday.
“We always inquire: ‘Do the families want us there?’ If the families say, ‘No, this is the time for our personal family grieving, we don’t want a politician there,’ we don’t go,” Hochul stated on Saturday during an Easter event, according to Politico.
“In this instance, we did inquire. We were informed that the family is welcoming. We always check, and they said to come, and I went. And no one told me to leave.”
Hochul was present at NYPD Officer Jonathan Diller’s wake on Friday. Diller, a law enforcement member, was shot on Monday in Queens at close range, leading to more criticism toward Hochul and the state regarding bail reform.
While she was there, she was approached by a man identified by the New York Post identified as a Diller family member. The man was Diller’s uncle, according to the outlet, citing one source.
He had a tense discussion with Hochul as she was departing, based on the video that later viral.
“People will act according to their own motives, and I am firm in the belief that it was the right thing to do,” she stated on Saturday. “I would do it again, and that’s my responsibility. My duty is to be there when people need me. If they need to communicate with me, and they all needed to talk to me, my duty is to listen.”
Hochul also mentioned that she is working to overturn the bail laws in New York and reiterated the significance of being present at the wake.
“I think everyone is aware of my stance on the bail laws,” Hochul mentioned. “I’m the one who has been striving to make the changes to return to the previous state.”
Former President Trump attended Diller’s wake on Thursday.
