POUGHKEEPSIE – New York State Republican Chairman Nick Langworthy, Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro, candidate for Congress, and Dutchess County Sheriff Kirk Imperati called attention to what they say is a prime example of what he allegred was hypocrisy from Rep. Antonio Delgado, who Molinaro is seeking to unseat.
Chairman Langworthy was in Poughkeepsie to support local Republicans and chastise Delgado. Langworthy said that replacing Delgado with Molinaro is a top priority of state Republicans.
Langworthy pointed out that Democrats spent the last election cycle praising cashless bail and lobbying to defund the police. In recent days, Delgado has traveled the district to announce additional funding for law enforcement. Langworthy said it is an example of the 180-degree change in Democratic priorities.
Langworthy did not provide any evidence of an alleged policy flip on the part of the incumbent.
“Don’t let him fool you–A vote for Antonio Delgado is a vote for Nancy Pelosi and AOC,” said Langworthy. “He supports the dangerous bail law, takes campaign money from the radical left, and wants to empty our jails while tying the hands of law enforcement. Democrats like Antonio Delgado created this public safety crisis and the only way to fix it is to throw them out of office and elect common-sense leaders like Marc Molinaro who will restore safety and sanity to our communities.”
Molinaro has touted his efforts at the county level to provide “Alternatives to Incarceration” (ATI) programs that were existent in Dutchess prior to cashless bail laws. Prior to bail reform changes, Dutchess County had an array of programs to monitor individuals that were arrested, and provide necessary programming to prevent recidivism and reduce the county jail population. When the state removed the discretion that judges had to place the accused in potentially helpful programs, the rate of recidivism escalated.
Molinaro and Republicans across the state have called for changes to the cashless bail laws, to give judges the opportunity to consider the background of the accused and the likelihood of a repeated offense when setting bail. “We are the only state in the country that doesn’t give judges any discretion based on a person’s history,” said Molinaro, adding “That creates a dangerous situation.”
“Antonio Delgado is attempting to dupe his constituents into believing he is pro-safety and pro-law enforcement when he is in fact an ardent supporter of New York’s failed cashless bail laws and defunding the police,” said Molinaro. “If he was serious about his all-too-convenient election-year flip-flop on this issue, he’d return the money he’s received from anti-police groups like AOC’s PAC, and refuse the Working Families Party’s nomination.”
Dutchess County Sheriff Kirk Imperati recently called for changes to cashless bail and the need to return discretion to the judges. “We support judges having discretion in allowing them to consider bail on anyone who is a danger to the community.”
