Rafael Mangual
ON THE RECORD · 6 verbatim quotes · every quote source-verified
“I’m not sure I share Mr. DeNiro’s dismissal of calls for Mayor Mamdani to keep away from the official memorial ceremony at the site of the World Trade Center on Friday,”
Rafael Mangual · said date not stated · reported 2026-09-11
Mangual argued that De Niro and the interviewer missed the mark in recalling Mamdani's record.
“On the mayoral campaign trail, Mamdani posed for a photo op with Siraj Wahaj, an unindicted co-conspirator in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing who also testified as a character witness on behalf of Sheik Omar Abdel-Rahman, who had lectured at Wahaj’s mosque prior to being convicted of several terrorism charges in the mid-1990s.”
Rafael Mangual · said date not stated · reported 2026-09-11
Mangual described Mamdani's campaign trail photo op with Siraj Wahhaj.
“Nor do I think the mayor’s past expressions of vitriol for the NYPD — whose members bravely ran to the assistance of their fellow Americans that tragic morning 25 years ago — are the only justifications for the anger of the families that have expressed their preference for the mayor not to attend Friday’s ceremony.”
Rafael Mangual · said date not stated · reported 2026-09-11
Mangual argued that the mayor's past vitriol for the NYPD is not the only justification for families' anger.
“As a rapper, Mamdani praised the Holy Land Five — a group convicted of providing material support to Hamas, an Islamist terrorist organization,”
Rafael Mangual · said date not stated · reported 2026-09-11
Mangual continued detailing Mamdani's past associations and statements.
“And as mayor, Mamdani hired as his chief legal counsel Ramzi Kassem, who volunteered to represent pro bono a Guantanamo Bay detainee and convicted al-Qaeda terrorist Ahmed al-Darbi. When coupled with his vitriolic criticisms of the very institutions tasked with keeping us safe from terrorist threats, the wishes of the families De Niro was asked about become much harder to ignore.”
Rafael Mangual · said date not stated · reported 2026-09-11
Mangual cited Mamdani's hiring of Ramzi Kassem as chief legal counsel and argued the families' wishes are harder to ignore.
“During his campaign, he also palled around with Hasan Piker, who stated that America deserved 9/11 and praised the mujahideen for shooting and wounding then-Navy SEAL and current Congressman Dan Crenshaw,”
Rafael Mangual · said date not stated · reported 2026-09-11
Mangual referenced Mamdani's association with Hasan Piker during his campaign.