Zohran Mamdani Defends AIPAC ‘Dark Money’ Comments as Backlash Intensifies
June 24, 2026
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is refusing to back down after facing intense criticism over his description of AIPAC and its role in American politics.
“I WILL NOT ACCEPT A STATUS QUO THAT FUNDS DEATH AND DESTRUCTION.”
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Mamdani argued that while children in Gaza are killed, hospitals destroyed and journalists targeted, powerful lobbying organizations such as AIPAC (American Israel Public Affairs Committee) and other wealthy donors continue to pour money into American politics to ensure unwavering support for unpopular policies that many around the world see as enabling further violence.
Mamdani made clear that he would not be intimidated into silence.
Watch and share his words.
Sources: @eye.on.palestine and @newsweek
#ZohranMamdani #AIPAC #NewYorkCity #fyp #FreePalestine
English Script:
Unknown man: Members of the Jewish community, including Democratic Congressman Josh Gottheimer, were alarmed by the language used at the rally last week, calling AIPAC monsters who move dark money. These are phrases that invoke old antisemitic tropes and conspiracy theories. What do you say to those who are concerned that the language you used is dangerous?
Zohran Mamdani: Now, I want to be very clear. We’re talking about a status quo where children are being killed on a daily basis. More than a thousand Palestinians have been killed by the Israeli military since the so-called ceasefire. Even an Al Jazeera journalist, Ahmed Washah who was killed this past Saturday by an Israeli strike. And when I am speaking about AIPAC, I’m speaking about an organization that has been supportive of the status quo, that has fought any attempt to actually deliver safety to people not just in Palestine, but frankly, through much of the region. And it is a status quo for immorality. It is one that I will not accept. And when it comes to the way in which they defend the status quo, oftentimes they defend it through direct contributions, as we are seeing right now in New York 13. Oftentimes they also support the status quo through dark money, by filtering money that would have previously been directly from AIPAC, now through other shell organizations whose identities of their contributors are only made clear after an election. And I think that it is important that when we ask ourselves how such death and destruction is happening overseas, we also name those who allow it to take place.
