The councilwoman told Fox News host Laura Ingraham that Mamdani sent a “cryptic message” when he handed a pen from the signing ceremony to NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch, who subsequently handed it to the mayor’s chief counsel, Ramzi Kassem, who once represented a convicted al Qaeda member.
“I hate to even say this, Laura, but you know it’s a message to Osama bin Laden that, look, ‘We conquered New York.’ That’s how scary all of this really is to each and every one of us,” she continued. “New Yorkers need to wake up.”
Kosta highlighted the absurdity of Paladino’s statements by pointing out that Mamdani handed out pens to everyone at the ceremony.
“A message to Osama bin Laden? Lady, guess what. I have some great news for you,” Kosta said before playing a clip of President Barack Obama announcing the killing of bin Laden.
“Yeah! We did it!” Kosta said. “15 years ago!”
Kosta added that there’s nothing he can say that would change the minds of those attacking Mamdani but said the narrative right-wing opponents are pushing of “Muslims versus America” lines up with the worldview of those who carried out the 9/11 attacks.
“And the fact that, 25 years after 9/11, we have a New York-grown Muslim mayor leading our remembrance, proves to the world that al Qaeda didn’t win. New York won,” Kosta said.
Watch Kosta’s full opening segment from Wednesday night’s show here: