Republican politicians expressed outrage after New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez laughed on camera during a memorial for the victims of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
On Friday, Mr. Mamdani and Ms. Ocasio-Cortez, both New York Democrats, were filmed on a live broadcast appearing to share a laugh as the names of victims in the World Trade Center massacre were read aloud.
Sen. Ted Cruz, Texas Republican, denounced the behavior of the two prominent proponents of democratic socialism.
“How the hell do you laugh while the names of those murdered on 9/11 are being read aloud?” Mr. Cruz wrote in a social media post. “Why would you do so?”
The clip showing the interaction between Mr. Mamdani and Ms. Ocasio-Cortez lasts four seconds and doesn’t include audio of their conversation.
It took four hours to read the names of the 2,983 people killed, per The New York Times.
Inna Vernikov, a Republican New York City Council member, similarly wrote, “After thousands of families of victims of terror beg Mamdani not to show up, he stands there and laughs while families weep. This is NYC’s Mayor.”
Rep. Rick Crawford, Arkansas Republican, was similarly critical on Newsmax.
“The voters of New York … have something to atone for. The fact that they put a guy like Mamdani in a position to lead that city is inexplicable to me,” said Mr. Crawford. “If you can’t maintain some sort of solemn decorum on a day like today, then go back to your office and chortle with your friends.”
Not everyone agreed with the criticism.
Michael Ragusa, a Republican who was formerly head of security for Mayor Rudy Giuliani and attended the event, disputed the characterization of the moment.
“The videos of [Mamdani] and [AOC] laughing are not true. I was standing next to them the whole time,” he wrote on social media. “The camera just caught her greeting him hello. Multiple other politicians were laughing and joking behind me. Republicans and Democrats.”
Mr. Ragusa added, “And for the record, I am a lifelong Republican who has been very critical of these two. I’m just sick of this fake news and people just saying whatever they want.”
Mr. Mamdani’s plans to attend the memorial also drew fire.
Beforehand, Mr. Giuliani expressed his opposition, alleging the current mayor “doesn’t agree that Sept. 11 was an Islamic terrorist attack.”
Mr. Mamdani is the city’s first Muslim mayor.
Republican George Pataki, who was governor at the time of the suicide flights into the WTC, similarly told the New York Post that he wanted Mr. Mamdani, before attending the memorial, to condemn left-wing commentator Hasan Piker, who once said America “deserved” the 9/11 attacks.
“If he says he will have nothing to do with Hasan Piker, and if he says he will condemn the statement ‘globalize the intifada,’ then I would have no problem with him being here,” Mr. Pataki said of Mr. Mamdani.
Mr. Mamdani’s and Ms. Ocasio-Cortez’s offices did not respond to requests for comment.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.