NY candidate Lee Zeldin pledges to fire DAs who refuse to enforce the law after attacker released without bail

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Rep. Lee Zeldin holds news conference following attack

New York Rep. Zeldin discusses 'historic' increases in crime rates after he was attacked on-stage during a campaign event

Republican New York Rep. Lee Zeldin on Friday spoke out after being attacked at a campaign event, doubling down on his promise to fire district attorneys in the state that do not enforce the law.

Zeldin spoke at length about the attack, which took place on Thursday when an assailant grabbed the congressman and attempted to stab him with a black hardened plastic keychain with two sharp points designed for self-defense, police said.

The suspect, identified as David G. Jakubonis, 43, was charged with attempted assault in the second degree. Jakubonis was released from police custody within hours of his arrest under New York’s crime laws. 

"The first thing that I will do after I'm sworn into office is to do my constitutional duty — it's not just constitutional authority — but to do my constitutional duty to remove the district attorney who refuses to enforce the law," Zeldin said Friday afternoon. 

A group of people attending Rep. Lee Zeldin's speech gather around an alleged attacker in Perinton, N.Y., on July 21, 2022. (Ian Winner/Handout via REUTERS )

New York Republican gubernatorial candidate Rep. Lee Zeldin was attacked by a man with a weapon at a campaign stop Thursday night. (Zeldin Campaign)

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"If the [district attorney] refuses to enforce the law, the governor has the duty to remove that DA," Zeldin added.

In a tweet early Friday, Zeldin, the Republican nominee for governor recalled Jakubonis saying "you’re done" just before the attack. Zeldin then predicted the suspect would be immediately released.

Zeldin's guess was proven correct after Jakubonis was released within 24 hours of his arrest. He was additionally released without bail on his own recognizance. 

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Witness Cody Crippen said he had decided to check out Zeldin’s campaign stop on Thursday near where he lives after he heard about it online.

He was filming Zeldin’s speech in Perinton, New York, when a man walked onto the stage and allegedly attempted to attack the gubernatorial candidate.

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"It was actually kinda crazy," Crippen told Fox News Digital. "I was just watching and this guy, it looked like he was a veteran, he kinda just started walking up on stage, and he started talking to Mr. Lee Zeldin and saying, ‘Oh, you’re done, buddy’ and all this, and then he ended up pulling out — it was like a little brass knuckle keychain." 

Fox News' Brie Stimson and Amy Nelson contributed to this report.