Fox News correspondent Peter Doocy asked White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt if it is “worthwhile” for the Department of Justice (DOJ) to consider holding denaturalization proceedings against New York City’s Democratic presumptive mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani.
Republican Tennessee Rep. Andy Ogles requested that the DOJ investigate whether Mamdani should be subject to denaturalization proceedings over a rap song where he allegedly expressed support for individuals convicted of terrorism-related crimes and for his refusal to condemn the phrase, “globalize the intifada.” Doocy questioned whether the White House finds such an investigation to be warranted.
“There’s this congressman, Andy Ogles, who wants Attorney General Pam Bondi to explore denaturalization proceedings because he thinks Mamdani could have represented or concealed material support for terrorism based on rap lyrics he wrote in 2017. Does President Trump think this is [a] worthwhile use of the attorney general’s time?” Doocy asked.
“Well I’ll let the president speak to that. I have not seen those claims. But surely if they are true, it is something that should be investigated,” Leavitt said.
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In a letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi, Ogles wrote that Mamdani rapped the words, “Free the Holy Land Five/My guys” to stand in solidarity with The Holy Land Foundation, who were convicted of providing “material support” to Hamas in 2008.
“Publicly praising the Foundation’s convicted leadership as ‘my guys’ raises serious concerns about whether Mr. Mamdani held affirmations or sympathies he failed to disclose during the naturalization process,” Ogles wrote.
The mayoral candidate has come under fire over his refusal to condemn the phrase, “globalize the intifada,” which is seen as a call for “indiscriminate violence against Israel and potentially against Jews and Jewish institutions worldwide,” according to the ADL.
Doocy also asked if Trump wants Mamdani, a naturalized citizen born in Uganda, to be deported from the U.S. The press secretary said that the president has not expressed an opinion on the matter.
Leavitt also confirmed that Trump is willing to work alongside any government figure regardless of their political affiliation or ideology, which would include Mamdani.
“The president is always willing to work with everyone,” Leavitt said. “He is always willing to work with Democrats across the country, Democrat governors and he said he’ll work with people on the far-left. He works with Republicans, he works with people in the middle. He wants to do what’s best for America, but surely someone who holds these values and is quite literally a communist and condemns every value that makes this country great, common sense, law and order, low taxes, working hard and earning your keep in this country. He’s against all of that and I think the president would find it difficult to work with someone like that if [Mamdani] is elected … Hopefully the voters of New York City chose wisely.”
Mamdani is a self-described Democratic Socialist who supports freezing rent, raising the minimum wage to $30 and implementing a variety of government-run programs such as buses, childcare and grocery stores. The mayoral candidate also defended his stance to increase taxes on wealthier neighborhoods, which he described as “richer and whiter,” by saying that the move is about fairness in the property tax system.
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