New York’s “Lawlessness” Crisis: Republican Nominee Accuses Incumbent of Failing to Prosecute

A statewide race for New York attorney general is drawing increasing attention, with the contest between incumbent Tish James and Republican nominee Saritha Komatireddy becoming a focal point.

Gerard Kassar, chairman of the New York Conservative Party, noted that Komatireddy, a former federal prosecutor, has been endorsed by the party as its Row C ballot candidate.

Letitia James gained national prominence following her filing of a civil lawsuit against Donald Trump — whom she has described as an “illegitimate” president in nationally televised proceedings — which resulted in penalties and fines totaling $400 million. However, James abandoned her primary challenge to Democratic Governor Kathy Hochul in 2022 and sought re-election as New York’s state attorney general.

“With Tish James it is all about her far-left agenda and nothing about prosecuting criminals — which is what I have done and what I’m good at,” Komatireddy stated recently. She highlighted that she served as an assistant U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of New York for 13 years after graduating from Harvard Law School and was also chief of staff to the Drug Enforcement Administration.

Komatireddy, daughter of Indian immigrants and now a mother of four, was inspired to pursue law following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. She has also served as a law clerk for future U.S. Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh and was nominated by President Trump to the U.S. District Court.

Komatireddy contrasted her record with James’s tenure: “Crime has gone up 26 percent statewide and 45 percent citywide alone,” she said. “And she has this policy of just not prosecuting many people who have committed crimes. So lawlessness is the new norm.”

As an example, Komatireddy pointed to “$1 billion in fare evasion from the subways [overseen by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority] every year. This wouldn’t happen if the transit laws were just enforced!”

She added that “one million New Yorkers left the state over the last five years” due to the rise in crime and decline in prosecution.

Komatireddy has made her case in 41 of the state’s 62 counties this summer, stating that “every county has a story on crime.”

James carries the line of the left-wing Working Families Party on the state ballot. Komatireddy compared herself to New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch: “Think of [New York City Police Commissioner] Jessica Tisch,” she said. “She’s widely respected and apolitical. City residents are one resignation away from no longer feeling safe in New York.”