New scrutiny is being directed at members of Zohran Mamdani’s mayoral transition after past statements and affiliations of several appointees came to light, raising questions about the ideological leanings surrounding the mayor-elect, the NY Post reports.
Among those drawing attention is Jack Gross, a Canadian-born activist who served as a major fundraiser for Mamdani’s campaign and was later appointed to the transition’s 20-member “economic development & workforce development” committee. Gross has longstanding ties to the New York City Democratic Socialists of America and a history of publicly expressing extreme left-wing views online.
Records show that Gross acted as an intermediary for the Mamdani campaign, helping generate more than $21,000 from over 600 individual donors. He is also an editor at the progressive digital outlet “Phenomenal World,” which is affiliated with the Jain Family Institute.
In social media posts from 2020, Gross repeatedly voiced hostility toward law enforcement and federal agencies. During the unrest following the death of George Floyd, he described it as “beautiful” when crowds shouted profanities about the NYPD.
In another post written months later, before his account went inactive, Gross offered a sweeping denunciation of the country, stating, “I must admit I do believe America is a wicked nation that must be punished for its sins.”
Gross also used his platform to attack US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, at times praising attempts by detainees to evade or escape the agency. On “Karl Marx Day,” he shared material lauding the Communist Manifesto and its co-author, the 19th-century revolutionary Karl Marx.
The emergence of Gross’s past statements is not the only controversy surrounding the transition team. It was recently revealed that rapper Mysonne Linen, who has a criminal record, was named to the “criminal legal system” committee. His appointment initially escaped notice due to a misspelling of his name by Mamdani’s team.
Separately, the transition announcement also misspelled the name of Black nationalist Lumumba Bandele, a member of the Malcolm X Grassroots Movement with a documented history of praising notorious cop killers, when listing him as part of the “community organizing” committee.
Addressing the uproar, Mamdani spokesperson Dora Pekec said, “These statements don’t reflect the views of the Mayor-elect or the transition.”
Representatives for Mamdani added that Gross’s post condemning the United States was written in reaction to a 2020 speech by President Trump to the Republican National Committee, in which he criticized the left for portraying America as “a wicked nation that must be punished for its sins.”
{Matzav.com}
