Andrew Cuomo: Democrats 'tongue-tied when it comes to crime'

Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) on Wednesday criticized the Democratic Party for being “tongue-tied" on crime.

“I don’t know why the Democrats — and this is nationwide — I don’t know why they can’t be more aggressive addressing the issue of crime,” Cuomo told radio host John Catsimatidis.

He accused the Democratic Party, particularly in New York state, of being afraid of the “extreme left.”

“It’s not just in New York though,” Cuomo said. “It’s all across the country. They are pulled by the far left. And they are afraid to say, ‘Dangerous criminals have to be in jail.’ ”

Republicans have hammered home the issue of rising crime in this year’s midterm elections, despite the FBI reporting that violent crime largely remained consistent last year. 

Even so, a recent Gallup poll showed that a record-high portion of Americans perceived local crime as increasing in their area, with 56 percent saying as much. 

The former New York governor added that Democrats aren’t listening when people say they feel afraid.

“The Democrats are not hearing it. And if they are hearing it, they are not responding to it,” Cuomo said. “And when somebody says, ‘I feel fear. I feel afraid.’ The answer isn’t to say, ‘You are wrong to feel that way.’ That doesn’t work in any relationship.”

Cuomo largely returned to the public sphere in late September with the announcement of a new podcast, political action committee and gun safety project. The ex-New York governor resigned from office last year amid a sexual harassment scandal.