A national political action committee is targeting two Upstate district attorneys for their stance on New York's new bail rules.
The ads are being promoted on Facebook apparently funded by an organization called Real Justice PAC. The targets are the prosecutors in Erie and Albany counties, John Flynn and David Soares, who are both Democrats.
According to the PAC's website, its goals is to elect county prosecutors with platforms focused on ending discriminatory policing, ending cash bail, and rolling back practices that lead to mass incarceration. The digital ads accuse the DAs of leading the charge to roll back the state's elimination of cash bail for most crimes by "using fear-mongering tactics based on lies and racist rhetoric."
Flynn said he was in favor and remains in favor of bail reform.
"I instituted our own bail reform in Erie County in the summer of 2018, which resulted in the reduction of pre-trial detainees by over 60% in a year and a half," he said in a statement. "With that said, I believe the bail reform statute went too far and there needs to be some changes.”
Soares meanwhile didn't pull any punches, saying the ads "smack of intolerance."
"It is remarkably 'Trump-ian.' Sixteen years ago the Conservative fringe spread panic when I questioned the wisdom of prosecuting persons with addiction," he said in a statement. "Today, those who profess to be tolerant rush to judgement because I question the wisdom of public safety policies that are harmful to victims and fragile communities. While I'm happy to discuss the merits of public policy, I will not dignify the divisive overtones of racism with a response."
Both DAs have re-election campaigns in 2020 although the ads aren't specifically calling to unseat them.
Real Justice PAC did not immediately return requests for comment. The PAC did post on its Facebook page Monday afternoon that local media has been using racist fearmongering and police and sheriffs should not be treated as neutral parties on this subject.