Gov. Kathy Hochul’s embattled choice for top New York jurist admitted in his first public comments this week that the outcry against him has been “difficult” — as the governor stridently defended her pick Saturday in The Bronx.
Speaking to a crowd of about 200 at the nonprofit Latino Pastoral Action Center headquarters in Mt. Eden, Hochul defended her selection of Judge Hector LaSalle, 54, amid a sustained progressive outcry.
“I examined all the records. I saw the cases — even those that are being maligned and used against him. They are false. They are falsely representative, and that’s why I’m standing here,” said Hochul, adding that LaSalle is “a man who stood for doing what’s right.”
“I believe that people will open up their minds and open up their hearts and do what’s right,” she continued.
Asked about the reasoning behind her choice for the state’s top jurist, Hochul said: “We still get asked ‘Why, why?’ He’s heavily qualified. He’s worked so hard his whole life, rose through the ranks, overcame adversity. Why is he being held to a different standard than all the rest? I’ve yet to hear a good answer to that question.”
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, one of the nation’s most prominent black leaders, was among top New York Democrats to come out Saturday in support of LaSalle — rankling progressives opposed to the law-and-order former prosecutor.
“I think it’s important to make the observation that beyond his clear and convincing qualifications the fact that this nomination is historic,” Jeffries said. “The fact that Judge LaSalle is Latino should matter, and we stand with you at this historic moment.”
Others state Dems who showed up included Reps. Nydia Velazquez and Adriano Espaillat, and ex-Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr.
LaSalle, who was not there, spoke Friday night in Midtown to a friendly crowd of members from the Puerto Rican Bar Association.
“I just want to take a moment to thank this organization for all it does — to thank so many of you who have been so supportive through what’s been a tumultuous time,” he said.
“And to let you know that no matter how difficult it has been, I’ve been nourished by your support — the phone calls, the emails when I go into the hood. All everybody’s down, nothing matters more than anything,” he added.
LaSalle declined to answer questions from a Post reporter.
LaSalle would be the first Hispanic to lead the state’s high court if approved by a majority of the 63-member state Senate.
But he’s come under heavy fire from progressive critics who say they fear he would push the state Court of Appeals too far right if he gets to helm the top bench.
The Post exclusively reported that Hochul has been personally lobbying key Democratic state senators to back her controversial nomination — warning at least one she will “remember” who’s with her.
She and her staff are desperately trying to salvage her choice of LaSalle as he battles the intense opposition from lefty pols, who could succeed in making her the first-ever governor to have a judicial pick for the state’s highest court rejected.
Additional reporting by Zach Williams