CaliToday (26/11/2025): A political firestorm erupted on Tuesday, November 25, 2025, as Congresswoman Elise Stefanik launched a blistering attack on Governor Kathy Hochul, demanding she intervene in what Stefanik calls a "disgraceful" decision by New York City’s Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani.
At the center of the controversy is the appointment of Lumumba Bandele a controversial activist with a history of praising convicted police assassins to Mamdani’s official transition team.
The "Nightmare" Appointment
Stefanik, the House Republican Conference Chair and a presumed challenger for the governorship next year, did not mince words. She characterized the appointment as a direct insult to law enforcement and a signal that the city is sliding further into chaos.
"This is a living nightmare for New York," Stefanik declared in a statement. "By inviting a man who calls cop-killers 'brave soldiers' into the halls of power, Mayor-elect Mamdani is sending a message that open season on the NYPD is acceptable."
Stefanik turned her sights directly on Governor Hochul, who threw her political weight behind Mamdani during the heated mayoral race. "Kathy Hochul owns this," Stefanik said. "She endorsed this radicalism. She cannot stay silent while a sympathizer of domestic terrorists is given a seat at the table."
Who is Lumumba Bandele?
Bandele has been tapped to serve on the Community Organizing Committee, one of the 17 bodies advising Mamdani before he takes office in January. However, his résumé has sparked outrage among police unions and victim advocates.
A longtime member of the Malcolm X Grassroots Movement, Bandele has spent years advocating for members of the militant Black Liberation Army (BLA).
Herman Bell: Bandele campaigned for the release of Herman Bell, the BLA member convicted for the brutal 1971 ambush and execution of NYPD Officers Waverly Jones and Joseph Pierson in Harlem.
Assata Shakur: Bandele has openly praised Shakur, who was convicted of murdering a New Jersey State Trooper before escaping prison and fleeing to Cuba, where she remains a fugitive on the FBI’s Most Wanted Terrorists list.
In resurfaced video clips circulating on social media, Bandele can be heard referring to individuals like Shakur and Bell not as criminals, but as "brave servants in the people's army."
A Tense Transition
Mayor-elect Mamdani, a rising star of the Democratic Socialists who campaigned on a platform of radical criminal justice reform, has yet to respond to the backlash. His transition team, which includes over 400 members, has been framed as a "people's coalition," but critics argue it is becoming a haven for anti-police sentiment.
Neither Mamdani’s camp nor Governor Hochul’s office responded to requests for comment on Tuesday. Bandele has also remained silent.
The National Stage
The controversy comes at a time when "law and order" remains the dominant issue in American politics. The Trump-Vance administration has made restoring safety in major cities a federal priority, frequently citing New York’s permissive policies as a cautionary tale.
For Stefanik, this is the opening salvo of what is expected to be a brutal gubernatorial campaign. By linking Hochul to Mamdani’s most controversial appointee, Republicans are betting that voter fatigue with crime and disorder will turn the tide in the typically blue state.
"If this is the start of the Mamdani administration," Stefanik warned, "New Yorkers should be terrified."
Source: New York Post
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