New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand is walking back explosive comments accusing New York City's newly selected Democratic mayoral nominee, Zohran Mamdani, of supporting "global jihad."

On June 26, during an appearance on WNYC's "The Brian Lehrer Show," Gillibrand amplified a caller's claims that Mamdani endangered the Jewish community. She repeated unsubstantiated allegations that Mamdani supported "global jihad" and glorified violence against Jews, misrepresenting activist slogans like "globalize the intifada" and mischaracterizing Mamdani's views.

"The caller is exactly the New York constituents that I've spoken to that are alarmed. They are alarmed by past public statements. They are alarmed by past positions – particularly references to global jihad," Gillibrand said. "This is a very serious issue, because people that glorify the slaughter of Jews create fear in our communities."

Despite being corrected multiple times during the interview, Gillibrand insisted Mamdani's prior statements had created fear. By Friday, facing mounting criticism, Gillibrand's office said she "misspoke," Huffpost reported.

The remarks drew sharp condemnation from elected officials. New York City Councilmember Lincoln Restler accused Gillibrand of repeating "divisive Republican fear-mongering," and Sen. Chris Van Hollen called out the "blatant" and "latent" Islamophobia in the response to Mamdani's win.

Meanwhile, Mamdani reiterated Sunday on NBC's "Meet the Press" that he does not use controversial phrases and instead grounds his leadership in universal human rights.

Mamdani, a Muslim American and progressive state legislator, won the Democratic nomination for New York City mayor last week, defeating former Gov. Andrew Cuomo in a surprise upset. His campaign faced frequent Islamophobic attacks from the right, but the rhetoric escalated after his victory, with accusations now coming from within his own party.

Originally published on Latin Times

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