Indicted Letitia James To Headline NYC Rally for Zohran Mamdani

Attorney General Letitia James of New York is scheduled to appear Monday at a rally to support mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani, her first public appearance since she was indicted on federal charges of bank fraud and lying to Congress.Ms. James is expected to blast President Trump and urge voters to turn out on Election Day to vote for the Democratic nominee for mayor of New York City, the New York Times reports. The rally, titled “Our Time Has Come,” will showcase Mr. Mamdani’s vision for a more affordable and inclusive New York City. A person close to Ms. James told the Times that she plans to attend Monday’s rally, saying she has been humbled by the support she has received. Her campaign has reportedly raised more than $1 million from mostly new donors since she was indicted by the Trump administration last week on charges of defrauding banks for a home loan. At the rally, Mr. Mamdani is expected to outline how he plans to defend the city from threats by Mr. Trump, who has labeled him a communist and threatened to pull federal funding for the city, while simultaneously advancing his affordability agenda.His spokeswoman, Dora Pekec, said the event will put the “breadth and depth of our coalition” on full display. “In front of thousands of New Yorkers, the campaign will say goodbye to the broken, billionaire-funded status quo and build a future politics where everyone can afford to live a dignified life,” she said.Mr. Mamdani, who maintains a double-digit lead over his independent opponent, Andrew M. Cuomo, a former governor of New York, has been one of Ms. James’s most vocal defenders since her indictment. The charges were secured by a prosecutor handpicked by the president, Lindsey Halligan, in the Eastern District of Virginia.The indictment follows a civil judgment Ms. James won against Mr. Trump and the Trump Organization for inflating real estate values, which resulted in penalties that were later overturned on appeal.On Friday, Mr. Mamdani organized a news conference at Foley Square to condemn the indictment, calling it a “blatant miscarriage of justice” and a “shameless act of political retribution.”“Instead of prosecuting Tish James for doing her job, Donald Trump should be doing his,” he said. He returned to the square for a rally that evening, leading the crowd in chants of “Hands Off Tish.”“We say to Donald Trump that if you want to get to the attorney general, you are going to have to get through every single one of us,” Mr. Mamdani declared at the rally.He also criticized Mr. Cuomo for his initial statement on the indictment, which did not name Ms. James or Mr. Trump. In a later statement to the Huffington Post, Mr. Cuomo said, “The weaponization and politicization of the justice system is wrong no matter which side you are on — period.” He added, “It’s wrong that it appears to be happening with AG James.”The rally highlights a strengthening political alliance between Mr. Mamdani and Ms. James. Although she initially backed another candidate in the primary, Ms. James became one of his most important backers after his victory, comparing his bid to Barack Obama’s first presidential run. She is seen as a key figure who can bridge the moderate and progressive wings of the Democratic Party and connect with older black voters, a demographic Mr. Mamdani struggled with in the primary.

Indicted Letitia James To Headline NYC Rally for Zohran Mamdani

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