Even though President Trump "missed the boat" by not denouncing the KKK, neo-Nazis and white supremacists sooner, Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul says that it is important for leaders to speak out. "It's too late for me, but I think other people that listen to him as their leader need to hear it roundly denounced so they don't think they have the support of the president of the United States the next time they want to have a hateful rally or perpetrate violence," Hochul said.
Hochul said there's "zero tolerance" for the violent and deadly attack during a "Unite the Right" rally on Saturday in Charlottesville, VA.
"Just recently the governor signed into law a bill that raised the penalties for people who perpetrate hate crimes and threats against community centers. It wasn't that long ago that our Jewish communities were exposed, here in Buffalo, bomb threats against the Jewish Community Centers," Hochul said.
The legislation signed Monday by Gov. Andrew Cuomo increases the penalty for making bomb threats to a class A misdemeanor punishable by up to one year in jail.