Bill DeBlasio says Times of London Mamdani story ‘false and fabricated’
Former New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio (D) said a story that he was reportedly discussing New York City mayoral candidate Zahran Mamdani in the Times of London was “false and fabricated.”
In a post on the social media platform
The former New York City mayor’s post included a link to a story from the Times of London that appears to have been deleted.
The Times of London published an article including a comment purportedly from de Blasio criticizing Mamdani’s policy proposals, The New York Times reported. De Blasio said on Tuesday that the statements he was said to have made were fabricated, the Times reported, also claiming that he had not spoken with The Times of London.
“I’m amazed,” de Blasio told the Times. “It’s a complete fabrication.”
A few hours after it was published, The Times of London removed the article “after discovering that our correspondent had been misled by someone falsely claiming to be the former mayor of New York,” according to a newspaper statement obtained by The Times.
In a subsequent post on X, de Blasio urged “@thetimes to immediately break this story.”
He added: “It is an absolute violation of journalistic ethics. The truth is that I fully support @ZohranKMamdani and believe his vision is necessary and achievable.”
A spokesman for former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who is running for mayor as an independent, shared a New York Post story about the interview on X, the New York Times reported.
Cuomo campaign spokesman Rich Azzopardi said in his post that de Blasio read Mamdani’s “fine print” and discovered it was “just glamour and sentiment.”
The Hill has contacted The Times of London for comment.
De Blasio endorsed Mamdani to lead the nation’s largest city in a September op-ed in the New York Daily News, saying Mamdani “relentlessly challenges the status quo of deepening affordability.” He praised the New York State Assemblyman’s calls for “bold, comprehensive action,” including a rent freeze, universal care for children up to age 5 and free city buses.
“And yet, although many New Yorkers agree with him, many others are skeptical. And still others have lost confidence in the ability of city government not just to talk the talk, but to deliver. They want to know one basic truth: Can it be done?” De Blasio said in his op-ed. “I can say with certainty – and I know better than anyone – that the answer is yes.”
