New York Governor Kathy Hochul departed the 25th anniversary 9/11 Ground Zero ceremony early on Friday to participate in an interview on CNN, a move that has drawn criticism. Hochul left the memorial site shortly before 11 a.m. as the names of victims were still being read.
During her appearance on CNN with Wolf Blitzer, Hochul discussed the 25th anniversary observance and her administration's initiatives, including increased police patrols around Jewish institutions. She also addressed the recent release of documents concerning air quality in Lower Manhattan following the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks.
Hochul's press secretary, Kara Cumoletti, defended the governor's actions. "The governor departed the ceremony at the same time she does every year, alongside former presidents and Vice President Vance," Cumoletti stated. "She then went on national television to commemorate the 25th anniversary of September 11th, the victims, and their enduring impact on New York. Trying to manufacture a controversy out of that is both false and beneath the solemnity of the day."
Despite the defense, critics pointed to the timing of her departure while the reading of victim names continued. The ceremony at the National September 11 Memorial & Museum plaza in Lower Manhattan is a solemn occasion commemorating the anniversary of the terrorist attacks that claimed thousands of lives.
