When asked if Gov. Kathy Hochul thought federal investigations into several prominent New Yorkers are political, she said, “hell yeah.”

The Justice Department on Tuesday opened a criminal investigation into former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo after congressional Republicans recommended that he be charged with lying over his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, the latest highly elected New York Democrat to be probed under the Trump administration and weeks before he faces a Democratic primary for New York City mayor.

“The question is when will [U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi] stop politicizing the Department of Justice and just do their jobs?” Hochul told reporters Wednesday at an event in Albany.

Cuomo’s handling of the pandemic in nursing homes has been questioned by Republicans in Congress for some time. A spokesperson for Cuomo said Tuesday that the former governor was never informed of any such investigation and that “Cuomo testified truthfully to the best of his recollection about events from four years earlier.”

It comes after FBI Director Kash Patel confirmed over the weekend that the agency is investigating New York Attorney General Letitia James over real estate transactions. The probe is reportedly focused on whether James committed fraud on a mortgage application. James' lawyer said this month the probe focuses on what he calls baseless and discredited allegations.

The same Justice Department abandoned a corruption case against New York Mayor Eric Adams, who is running for a second term. They cited a desire to free Adams up to cooperate with the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.

“Pam Bondi, one of the first, I think she was brand new attorney general, she stood up and said she’s launching an investigation and bringing charges against me for a law we have in New York. Now she overstated it. She wasn’t bringing charges, she was just filing civil litigation, so I had to point out her lack of understanding the law was very troubling,” Hochul said Wednesday. “That being said, she came after me. They’re coming after the attorney general. They’re coming after a candidate for mayor.”

Hochul is referrring to Bondi's legal efforts against the state's so-called Green Light Law that prevents federal immigration enforcement from being able to access information the state DMV has on immigrants without legal status.

Hochul served as Cuomo's lieutenant governor for six years before succeeding him when he resigned in 2021.

“I suggest [the DOJ] focus on the core mission and stop targeting Democrats here in New York,” Hochul added.