Governor Hochul: “Former President Donald Trump is testifying in an unprecedented civil trial brought by our own Attorney General, Tish James. So far from telling the truth as he's required to do, he's throwing temper tantrums from the witness stand and verbally attacking judges and courtroom staff. His conduct has been a disgrace and I have full confidence that Donald Trump will be held accountable for his actions.”
Hochul: “They'll hear arguments tomorrow in the Rahimi Case ... Will they stand up for common sense gun legislation that protects vulnerable women from abuse? Or will they stand with the MAGA extremists and let abusers get their hands on guns and possibly kill women.”
Earlier today, Governor Kathy Hochul addressed the former President Trump court testimony and the upcoming Supreme Court oral arguments.
VIDEO of the event is available on YouTube here and in TV quality (h.264, mp4) format here.
AUDIO of the Governor's remarks is available here.
A rush transcript of the Governor's remarks is available below:
Before I take questions, I want to address two critical issues that are unfolding in our courts this week. Today, just a few blocks from where we are, we're hoping that the truth comes out about a fraudster, an imposter, someone who allegedly lied about all his business holdings over an entire lifetime. Former President Donald Trump is testifying in an unprecedented civil trial brought by our own Attorney General,Tish James. So far from telling the truth as he's required to do, he's throwing temper tantrums from the witness stand and verbally attacking judges and courtroom staff. His conduct has been a disgrace and I have full confidence that Donald Trump will be held accountable for his actions.
There's another legal proceeding happening in Washington with the Supreme Court. They'll hear arguments tomorrow in the Rahimi Case, which is a law that prevents – they're considering a law that prevents domestic abusers from getting their hands on guns and deadly weapons. Common sense to most of us, and the choice should be clear. The question is, will they stand up for common sense gun legislation that protects vulnerable women from abuse? Or will they stand with the MAGA extremists and let abusers get their hands on guns and possibly kill women?
As many of you know, this issue is personal to me. My late mother grew up in an abusive household. She dedicated her life to helping victims of domestic violence. But unfortunately, New Yorkers know that the Supreme Court has the capacity and the ability, and has done so, the ability to eviscerate our own gun laws here in our state. That's what happened in the Bruen Case when they struck down the concealed carry laws that were put in place over 100 years ago that allows a governor to protect her citizens from people with concealed carry weapons, even in public places.
Tomorrow, we'll see whether the Supreme Court will have any kinds of limitations on that interpretation. We hope they do. We'll be watching it closely. As will millions of Americans, and those particularly who are victims of domestic abuse.