Nick LaLota will say anything it takes to keep in the convicted felon ex-president's favor and not anger the voters that the First District congressman needs to get re-elected. Or Mr. LaLota actually believes, as he said this week, that Gov. Kathy Hochul should "immediately announce her intention to pardon" Donald Trump following the jury's verdict that he was guilty on all 34 felony counts in the hush-money case.
Mr. LaLota must have thought that he had no choice — from top to bottom, the Republican Party denounced the process. They did not so much insist that the former president was innocent — even they must accept the fact that he is not — but that they simply do not care. So much for the credibility of the self-styled "law and order" party — and Mr. LaLota.
With early voting beginning June 15, a First District Democratic primary between Nancy Goroff and John Avlon takes on increased significance. The winner to be decided after the last in-person voting closes on June 25 and absentee ballots are counted will face Mr. LaLota in the general election in November. Control of the House of Representatives is in play; surprisingly strong results two years ago among New York's Republican candidates were key to the G.O.P. eking out its narrow majority.
Congress has long been the punchline of the United States political system, but under the Republicans, it has stooped to new lows. Revenge for imagined wrongs is at the top of the party's agenda, and democracy is itself at risk as more 2020 election deniers head to the Hill.
East End voters have a great chance to restore some sanity to Congress by choosing the Democrat most likely to win in November. But more than that, those among us disillusioned about voting altogether and inclined to sit this one out should pay closer attention to what our incumbent representative has to say — it is not good and should have no place in a system based on the rule of law.