Mayor Mamdani Infuriates NYPD After ‘Wild’ Move
It seems Zohran Mamdani hasn’t quite received the message that he’s now the mayor of America’s biggest city, not this bit player activist in the New York Assembly.
And the NYPD guys would love it if he figured that out, make their job that much easier.
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Mamdani is calling on New Yorkers to protest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during his visit to New York City by taking to the streets, a move that has drawn criticism from some members of the New York Police Department.
The call for the demonstration comes after a tough run for the NYPD, which has recently provided security for several high-profile events including the FIFA World Cup, Independence Day celebrations and the America 250 festivities that drew millions of visitors.
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Opponents say the call for more mass protests will put more pressure on police resources.
“The mayor’s activist posturing puts police officers on the street in a terrible position,” NYPD Police Benevolent Association President Patrick Hendry said, per the New York Post.
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“Protests during the UN General Assembly are nothing new, but when the mayor of the city is actively calling for demonstrations, violent agitators will assume they have permission to cause as much havoc as possible,” he added.
“Those same agitators know that the NYPD’s protest response is already hamstrung by the dangerous lawsuit settlement the city signed over the PBA’s opposition,” said Hendry.
“The mayor’s heated rhetoric could be enough to push demonstrations over the edge into chaos.”
Since before his mayoral campaign, Mamdani has been a vocal critic of Netanyahu, with some critics saying his criticisms of Israel in general smack of anti-Semitism.
During the campaign, he said he would seek to have Netanyahu arrested if he visited New York City, citing the 2024 warrant issued by the International Criminal Court over alleged war crimes in Gaza.
This week, however, Mamdani acknowledged that he does not have the legal authority to carry out such an arrest.
He instead encouraged New Yorkers to protest Netanyahu’s visit, a move critics say will require additional security and crowd-management efforts from the NYPD, The Post continued.
“This is a city where, if anyone feels a level of frustration or opposition, protest is something that we will always respect,” Mamdani told reporters at City Hall this week.
“That New Yorkers can express themselves, whether they are in support or in opposition, no matter on whatever topic,” he said.
“And I’ve always said that when we respect our Constitution, we also respect our First Amendment,” he claimed.
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The NYPD recently managed an exceptionally busy summer that brought an unprecedented influx of visitors to the city.
Officers worked extended 12-hour shifts to provide security for the additional crowds and major public events, successfully carrying out those responsibilities.
Critics now argue that the mayor’s call for large-scale protests will place further demands on an already heavily tasked police force.
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“Was he serious?” one incredulous Manhattan cop asked The Post.
“Cops just came off a crazy six weeks between the Knicks and the World Cup working long hours every day, and now he’s going to subject them to unnecessary problems,” the officer added, per The Post.
Paul Threatens Fauci for Pleading 5th in Hearing, Removes Fauci’s Attorney
Republican lawmakers are intensifying calls for greater scrutiny of Dr. Anthony Fauci’s pandemic-era decisions and public statements.
Fauci refused to answer questions from members of a Senate committee at a hearing on Wednesday about his actions as the government’s top infectious disease expert during the COVID pandemic.
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Committee Chairman Sen. Rand Paul lit into Fauci to begin the hearing and threatened “repercussions” for Fauci for invoking his 5th Amendment right to refuse to answer questions.
“Dr. Fauci, would you like to at least answer this one question for us today and let us know whether or not you’ve changed your mind on whether or not the benefits of gain-of-function research outweigh the risks?” Rand asked.
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“On the advice of counsel, I respectfully decline to answer, based upon my rights under the Fifth Amendment to the Constitution,” Fauci replied.
“The chairman has denied your assertion of privilege and directed you to answer, but you nonetheless refuse and stand on privilege despite the existence of the pardon,” Paul shot back.
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Paul declared: “The committee will have to consider, after this hearing, what appropriate action should be taken against you for the failure to testify after being directed to do so. It’s against the law to obstruct an investigation of Congress. There will be repercussions to your refusal to testify today.”
Paul has long argued that Fauci should see prison time, alleging he lied to Congress as far back as 2021.
“It’s a felony punishable by five years in jail,” Paul told Fox News host Sean Hannity in September of 2021.
“I don’t think Biden Department of Justice will do anything with it, but … it is very dangerous to have public officials who we need to have trust in coming and lying to us. But he has lied dozens of times. Usually he tells us it’s for our own good,” Paul said.
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Things also got heated when Paul removed one of Fauci’s lawyers from the hearing after the lawyer repeatedly talked over Paul to defend Fauci, even though he had not been invited to speak.
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“You will respect these proceedings. You were told not to sit at the table. You insist on sitting at the table. And we told you you would not be recognized. You are not invited here for testimony, sir. You are being disruptive,” Paul declared.
“Would you behave this way in a courtroom? No, because the judge would put you in jail. I can’t do that today, but I can have you escorted from the premises,” Paul added.
“So I would say, sir, sit quietly and don’t say another word. I said sit quietly. You are not recognized. Another word and you’re gone,” Paul declared.
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After another back-and-forth and the attorney’s refusal to listen, Paul then had security remove him from the room.
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Before the hearing, President Donald Trump lashed out at Fauci.
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“‘Operation Warp Speed’ was a SPECTACULAR SUCCESS, in fact, many say, one of the most successful things ever done by an American President. I overrode Fauci on this. His ideas were CRAZY,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post on Wednesday.
“I Inherited Fauci, who was there since the 1980’s, but with each passing day, relied less and less on him. He made too many bad calls, like on MASKS. Remember at the beginning he was an anti-masker. He then switched to a super-masker. In any event I didn’t let him shut the Country down, although he wanted to,” Trump continued.
