New York Governor Kathy Hochul appeared to get a frosty reception at the wake of slain New York police officer Jonathan Diller on Friday.
Hochul arrived at Diller’s wake at around 1:45 p.m. on Friday and went inside to meet with the slain officer’s widow, Stephanie. One witness to the exchange said that the 29-year-old widow appeared to tell off the Democratic governor.
“[It looked] like she was telling [Hochul] off,” one witness told the New York Post. “It didn’t look like the widow had a kind word to say.”
Hochul’s appearance at the wake was received poorly by the members of Diller’s family present, according to CBS News New York. As Hochul exited the building, people inside told the governor to get out, according to the outlet.
Another witness told the Post that the governor and the young widow had a “short, respectful conversation” during the roughly 10 to 15 minutes Hochul was inside. More bystanders said the governor and the widow discussed “policy” during their brief encounter.
After her time with the family, Hochul walked outside and was confronted by a man who appeared to speak emotionally and emphatically with the governor. The governor walked away shortly after and left the wake with her escort. In a video of the governor’s exit, some bystanders can be heard applauding as Hochul leaves.
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NY Gov. Kathy Hochul Gets Round of Applause — for Leaving Slain NYPD Officer Diller’s Funeral
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul quickly wore out her welcome at slain NYPD Officer Jonathan Diller’s funeral as her photo-op went horribly awry.
NYPD make it clear that her presence was… pic.twitter.com/0y7ez3LSmS
— Kyle Becker (@kylenabecker) March 29, 2024
In the wake of Diller’s death, progressive crime policies such as the bail reform law enacted in New York in 2020 have come under intense scrutiny. Critics say that lowering and eliminating cash bail and loosening restrictions on suspected criminals has contributed to the state’s recidivism problem.
In a press conference on Tuesday after Diller’s death, New York City Mayor Eric Adams said that local laws were not addressing several significant problems contributing to crime in New York.
“You’re going to keep coming up with the same three items: severe mental health, random acts of violence, recidivism, over and over again. And what’s interesting is that our practices, laws, and policies are not going after those three issues,” Adams said.
Former President Donald Trump attended Diller’s wake on Thursday and called the officer’s death “a horrible thing” that is “happening all too often.”
“We have to stop it, we have to stop it. We have to get back to law and order. We have to do a lot of things differently because this is not working. This is happening too often,” Trump said in brief remarks. The former president visited with the Diller family and stayed at the wake for about 40 minutes before departing.
Diller’s brother-in-law shared a photo of Trump embracing Diller’s widow with the caption: “No words needed.”
