Predictably, the assault on Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-N.Y.) during a July 21st campaign stop in front of a VFW post in Perinton, New York has brought along with it various and sundry left-wing wackos who are floating some bizarre conspiracy theories alleging that Zeldin, who is the Republican gubernatorial nominee, calculatingly did one of two things – or both – as it related to the attack.

In their view, Zeldin either “staged” the attack for convenient political gain or leaned on a prominent supporter of his who also happens to be the local D.A. to charge his attacker with a lesser offense so he’d be released the next day. Some have even suggested Zeldin did both, which theoretically should be impossible for him to do considering how “stupid” Republicans allegedly are according to their critics.

In any event, both the New York Times and MSNBC’s Chris Hayes were “on the case,” as they say.

But while the Times story – which quoted two New York Assemblymen “raising questions” – essentially debunked the false narrative about Zeldin colluding with Monroe County district attorney Sandra Doorley to charge 43-year-old David G. Jakubonis, seen in video clips grabbing and lunging for Zeldin with a weapon similar to brass knuckles in hand, with a non-bail eligible offense, Hayes picked up the ball and ran with it, first teasing the story on Twitter Tuesday and then doing a dramatic segment on it a few hours later.

“We’re doing this Lee Zeldin story on the show tonight and it is *jaw-dropping*,” he first announced on Tuesday afternoon. “Just astoundingly cynical stuff,” he added in a follow-up tweet.

He then got to the meat of his upcoming “*jaw-dropping*” story while also casually throwing out there the supposed possibility that the attack on Zeldin was staged just, you know, for the record and stuff.

“I see people saying it was staged and to be clear there is ZERO, literally ZERO evidence of that,” Hayes wrote. “The way the campaign and the local DA have – either explicitly or tacitly – coordinated to demagogue bail reform in the aftermath is just wild.”

That night, he did his “blockbuster” report on the alleged collusion between Zeldin and Doorley, and then picked up the conspiracy theory again the next day:

After attack, Zeldin boldly predicts the assailant will be released w/o bail and indeed he is.

Turns out that's because the DA's office charged him with a very rare non-violent offense.

And the DA? She's a big supporter of Zeldin who was at the rally! https://t.co/6W82nO5sSC

— Chris Hayes (@chrislhayes) July 27, 2022

Then, Hayes again pulled his classic “I don’t have any proof but I’m gonna put this out there anyway” move, proclaiming – without evidence – that “it sure *looks* like” there was collusion in the aftermath of the attack:

“Put these together and it sure *looks* like a DA, who’s usually a throw-the-book-at-them law and order type has her office downcharge a guy who assaulted Zeldin so that he could be released without bail and give Zeldin ammunition for the campaign’s main focus.”

When Zeldin got wind of the attacks on Doorley, he took to the Twitter machine to drop some inconvenient facts on his critics including Hayes:

Cashless bail supporters are fabricating details of last week's attack at my rally bc the FACTS undercut their pro-criminal cause. They're now attacking amazing Monroe Cty DA Sandra Doorley. Issue is AT NO POINT has she been involved in the charging decision in this case AT ALL!

— Lee Zeldin (@leezeldin) July 26, 2022

Doorley was smart enough to stay totally out of that process from the get go due to her pre-existing relationship with me. It’s also untrue that she is a Campaign Co-Chair. After announcing Doorley as a Campaign Co-Chair 4/27, she informed me 4/28 she couldn’t actually do it.

— Lee Zeldin (@leezeldin) July 26, 2022

“The attacks on Sandra Doorley have been disgusting, loaded up with lies,” Zeldin went on to say. “She is an exceptional District Attorney who would get slammed by the left for recusing herself from this case and slammed if she didn’t.”

I should point out for the record that Jakubonis in back in custody on a federal assault charge as his mental health is evaluated.

As noted above, the Times piece also stuck a pin in the “collusion” conspiracy theory balloon:

No evidence has emerged to indicate that the charge was chosen to ensure Mr. Jakubonis’s release, serving to amplify Mr. Zeldin’s campaign message. Several criminal lawyers from Monroe County say the charge was fitting given the particulars of the attack on July 21.

And in an interview, the investigating officer at the sheriff’s office who filed the charge, Jeffrey Branagan, said that there had been no input from the district attorney’s office, other than to tell him that the charge was not eligible for bail.

This is all so very dumb, but then again that is so on brand for the cast of characters at MSNBC. Think about it: There are hundreds, perhaps even thousands of cases involving Average Janes and Joes in New York state Zeldin could use to make his point, some of which have involved members of the Jewish community (which Zeldin is) and/or have been widely reported by the NYC press, and some of which involved people who are unfortunately unavailable for comment because they were either seriously injured or murdered by criminals who were released thanks to Democrat-backed bail reform.

Zeldin doesn’t need to stage an attack nor underhandedly pressure a powerful supporter to let his attacker off light in order prove his point.

The only “point” Chris Hayes proved is in putting his own nauseating double standards on full display, because we know exactly how he and his colleagues would be be hysterically reacting if it was Gov. Kathy Hochul – whose campaign was in the hot seat last week after reports they were directing supporters to Zeldin’s rallies – who was assaulted.

Flashback: Purported ‘Criminal Justice Reform Advocates’ Show True Colors During Kyle Rittenhouse Trial