A bigwig on Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani’s transition team spewed hatred against Jews and Israel and questioned gay rights in a series of hateful social media posts from a decade ago.
Hassaan Chaudhary, who identifies himself as newly appointed political director for Mamdani’s transition and inaugural committee on LinkedIn, used the word “Jew” as a slur, and even praised former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who infamously said Israel is “a cancer which will be eliminated soon.”
Chaudhary, who was the director of Muslim engagement for the Mamdani campaign, also described Israel as a “bloody country” and a “barbaric nation” in the posts — some of which date back to when he was 18 years old.
More recently, Chaudhary reshared a post on X in December 2024 aimed at pro-Israel Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, a Democrat who is Jewish.
“If Luigi [Mangione] had shot a Gazan toddler instead, Josh Shapiro would have given him a medal,” the original post said.
Responding to Pakistani journalist Najam Sethi on February 9, 2012, Chaudhary said, “Hitler..why dont you face our Pakistani people? Your daughter works at WSJ [the Wall Street Journal].”
He then invokes an urdu phrase, saying, “oh forgot that Jew hoga tera baap” — which loosely means “Jew will be your father.”
In another post, a thrilled Chaudhury also lauded Ahmadinejad and called him “fearless.”
“This banda [person] is fearless RT “@murtazasolangi President Ahmedinejad has declared Israel as cancer which will be eliminated very soon,” Chaudhury wrote in an X post to Pakistani official Murtaza Solangi.
He spewed venom toward Israel in other posts.
“There is a barbaric nation who’s killing indigents and innocent Palestinians called ISRAEL. TALK about it. #stupid media,” Chaudhury said in a November 2012 post to a Pakistani journalist.
In another post, he called Israel a “bloody country” for claiming a pro-Palestian resolution was undermining peace instead of promoting it.
In one November 2012 tweet, he questioned gay rights.
“@SaifsDen I too read a piece on Gay rights. To be honest, it is purely claptrap. Doesn’t make sense. Boundary line should be drawn somewhere,” Chaudhury, now 31, said.
Chaudhary apologized for the comments in a statement to The Post on Sunday.
“I apologize for my tweets, as they do not reflect my current views, or represent who I am today,” he said. “Those comments from over a decade ago are not in line with how I see the world, and I look back at that rhetoric and mindset with deep regret.”
Jewish activists said Chaudhary’s statements reek of antisemitism and that he doesn’t belong in a Mamdani administration.
“This is Adolf Hitler language. It’s antisemitic. It’s a horror show,” said Dov Hikind, a former Brooklyn assemblyman and founder of Americans Against Antisemitism.
He blamed Mamdani — who supports the controversial boycott, divestment and sanctions movement against Israel — for setting the example.
“The fish stinks from the head. Mamdani sets the tone. It’s a hate-filled administration,” Hikind said.
Veteran political consultant Hank Sheinkopf railed that “words matter.”
“This advisor to the mayor is clearly by his own words a Jew hater,” said Sheinkopf, who is Jewish and a rabbi. “The only issue: it always begins with the Jews but never ends with the Jews. Who’s next on the list?”
A representative for Mamdani’s transition team condemned Chaudhary’s remarks, and said he is a Muslim outreach director for the mayor-elect, not the political director for the transition team.
“These comments from over a decade ago are reprehensible and in no way reflect the views of the Mayor-elect or this transition. The mayor elect has made this clear internally and consistently during the campaign and transition,” said Mamdani transition spokesperson Dora Pekec.
The spokesperson did not indicate that Chaudhury would be fired for the old, venomous remarks.
Chaudhury previously worked as a senior community organizer for Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso and a digital organizer for the Working Families Party.
