Schumer challenger attacks him over Wall Street ties

Wendy Long, the Republican challenger to U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer, hit several predictable notes during a speech Tuesday, criticizing Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s Start-Up NY program, condemning President Barack Obama’s response to ISIS, and praising Donald Trump as the man who can save the country from disaster.

But in her morning speech to the New York delegation to the Republican National Convention, the GOP candidate also openly attacked Wall Street and “big business,” which she sought to link unfavorably to Schumer, the state’s senior U.S. senator. 

The remarks were an unusual move for a national candidate of a party that has traditionally been seen as a champion of commerce and finance, although a more vocal backlash against major U.S. institutions that were once off limits has emerged during Trump’s unconventional candidacy.

Long claimed that Schumer had long supported “irresponsible risk in the financial system,” including crushing Bush administration efforts to impose more regulation on credit rating agencies and tried to raise limits of Fannie and Freddie government guarantees and to lower their capital requirements so they could take on more risk.

“The real villain in the financial crisis is in fact none other than Chuck Schumer,” Long said.

“He’s bought and paid for by Wall Street,” she added moments later.

Similarly, Long argued that Hillary Clinton, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, was a “pawn of Wall Street.”

A spokesman for Schumer did not immediately respond to a request for comment.