Mamdani Accused of Violating Records Law by Deleting Social Media Posts About Protecting Jewish New Yorkers

Newly sworn-in New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is already in hot water over accusations of deleting social media posts from the official X account of the mayor’s office that had addressed the protection of Jewish New Yorkers.The damning allegations were made in a letter addressed to Mr. Mamdani by the National Jewish Advocacy Center, just hours after his inauguration, saying it was “shameful” to erase the official statements during “a moment of unprecedented antisemitic intimidation.”“It is difficult to overstate how disturbing it is that one of your very first acts as Mayor of New York City, on your very first day in office, was to delete official @NYCMayor tweets addressing the protection of Jewish New Yorkers,” NJAC officials said in the letter. “It sends a message, whether intended or not, that Jewish New Yorkers are uniquely undeserving of continuity, clarity, or reassurance from their own government.”The NJAC also said that not only was the the scrubbing of the @NYCmayor X account in poor taste, but it was a violation under the New York Arts and Cultural Affairs Law which states that public records may not be destroyed or disposed of.“Even if they were archived, the choice to delete statements specifically addressing Jewish safety on Day One invites scrutiny and erodes public trust,” the letter reads.Among the posts, which were published while Eric Adams had control of the official account includes announcements of the release of a municipal report of antisemitism and the creation of the Mayor’s Office to Combat Antisemitism.The NJAC called upon the mayor to clarify if the deleted posts were archived in official city records and to issue “clear, unequivocal statements” that affirms the city’s commitment to protecting its Jewish population.“Your first days in office will define your administration. This is not how that definition should begin.”Department of Justice Assistant Attorney General, Harmeet Dhillon, a long time critic of Mr. Mamdani, responded to the letter on X, saying that an investigation into any violations would be launched.“We will be extremely vigilant @CivilRights as to ANY AND ALL violations of religious liberties in NYC,” she said. “We will investigate, sue, and indict as needed.”Mayor Mamdani’s office was insistent that the posts were being archived and that the new mayor is committed to combating antisemitism.“This ongoing process is administrative in nature and is not based on the content of the posts,” spokeswoman Dora Pekec said in a statement. “The Mayor remains steadfast in his commitment to root out the scourge of antisemitism in our city and will deliver on his commitment to renewing the Mayor’s Office to Combat Antisemitism and increasing funding for the Office for the Prevention of Hate Crimes by 800%.”Mr. Mamdani appears to be quickly trying to erase the influence of the previous administration. In one of his first acts at City Hall, the new mayor revoked a total of nine executive orders made by Mr. Adams after he was federally indicted on corruption charges, undoing orders on antisemitism, immigration and the city’s horse-drawn carriage industry.Among the revocations were an order pushing back against the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement.The order barred top city officials from making contracting decisions or enacting policies “that discriminate against the state of Israel, Israeli citizens based on their national origin, or individuals or entities based on their association with Israel”—and warned that city employees who violated the ban could face disciplinary action.In a press conference on Thursday, Mr. Mamdani said that the orders were “against the interests of working-class people and what they need from their mayor,” but reiterated that he is committed to fighting antisemitism and would retain the EO issued by Mr. Adams in May that established the Mayor’s Office to Combat Antisemitism.“That is an issue that we take seriously, and it’s part of the commitment that we’ve made to Jewish New Yorkers to not only protect them, but to celebrate and cherish them,” he said.

Mamdani Accused of Violating Records Law by Deleting Social Media Posts About Protecting Jewish New Yorkers

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