Former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo held a press conference near Ground Zero on Tuesday, blasting Democrat mayoral frontrunner Zohran Mamdani for associating with a radical activist who once declared that “America deserved 9/11.”
Standing just steps from the site of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, Cuomo appeared with longtime FDNY EMT and 9/11 first responder Sal Turturici and his wife, Wendi, who also became an EMT after the attacks.
Sal Turturici is battling terminal cancer.
“I am calling on Zohran Mamdani to disavow Hasan Piker and his hateful words,” Wendi Tururici said.
“His association with Hasan Piker disqualifies him to serve in any role for New York City, let alone one as important as mayor.”
Cuomo’s campaign displayed posters of Mamdani with Piker, as well as an image of the streamer from his viral 2019 broadcast where he said, “America deserved 9/11.”
Mamdani’s campaign dismissed Cuomo’s attack as a cynical political stunt, accusing him of targeting Muslims.
“Andrew Cuomo knows exactly what he’s doing,” the campaign said in a statement.
“He’s holding a press conference to suggest that Zohran Mamdani — who is poised to become New York’s first Muslim mayor — somehow supported 9/11.
“It’s vile, it’s dangerous,