Tish draws a challenger who calls her soft on crime

ALBANY — A Republican lawyer from Queens is mounting a bid to take on Attorney General Letitia James in next year’s election.

Michael Henry (inset), a commercial litigation attorney, announced Monday he’s hoping to unseat the incumbent Democrat, whom he accused of being soft on crime.

“New York faces a crime crisis, but the current attorney general spent her time in office suing the NYPD and introducing legislation that would make it harder for law enforcement to do their jobs,” he said. “How can you be the chief law enforcement officer in the state when you don’t believe in law enforcement?”

James sued the NYPD in January in an effort to install a federal monitor to oversee the department, alleging officers used excessive force against protesters following the death of George Floyd last spring.

Her office recently announced a major gang takedown in Albany following a yearlong investigation into a massive drug and gun ring operating out of the Capital Region and surrounding areas that led to 50 indictments.

Henry also accused James of going easy on Gov. Cuomo and his administration’s handling of the COVID crisis.

“Attorney General James is nothing more than the Attorney Grandstander. She is quick to grab a headline, but has absolutely failed when it mattered most to New Yorkers,” he said. “There are still thousands of families who lost loved ones in nursing homes who demanded a criminal investigation of Andrew Cuomo.”

While James’ office has not sought criminal charges against Cuomo, her office released a scathing report in January accusing the governor’s top officials of obscuring the true toll the pandemic took on seniors living in elder care facilities across the state.