Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, R-N.Y., hit out at State legislator Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic candidate for Mayor of New York City, for "backtracking" on his past criticism of law enforcement, saying "it's very confusing" messaging in an interview with Newsmax on Wednesday.
Mamdani said during a press conference last week following the deadly mass shooting in Manhattan that he is "not running to defund the police" and said his past social media comments about law enforcement were "out of step" with his current opinions.
"Well, what's interesting is they're all backtracking" on criticism of law enforcement, Malliotakis said on "National Report," going on to accuse Mamdani of having "literally said he wants to defund the police, that we shouldn't have jails in our society, there's no purpose for them that NYPD is the biggest threat to public safety, and now he's backtracking, trying to show New Yorkers that he actually supports the NYPD."
Malliotakis said, "It's very confusing, the messaging we're receiving from the Democrats," and added, "the only one who's been really consistent in this race has been Curtis Sliwa," the Republican candidate for mayor.
She said Sliwa "has been out there in the community, has cared about public safety since decades ago when he founded the Guardian Angels. He is somebody who has helped transition people out of homelessness and [get the] mentally ill off the streets. He has visited every housing development in our city. He has gone on the subways more than the transit cop Eric Adams."
Malliotakis said, "So if people want something that's different than the other three candidates in this race, they should be supporting the Republican candidate, Curtis Sliwa."
The congresswoman also hit out at Democrat New York Gov. Kathy Hochul over her threats to redistrict the state if Texas redraws its congressional district map, saying it's "supposed to be … once every decade, that they redraw these maps based on the census population."
GET TODAY NEWSMAX+:
NEWSMAX is the fastest-growing cable news channel in America with more than 30 million people watching!
Reuters Institute reports NEWSMAX is one of the top news brands in the U.S.
You need to watch NEWSMAX today.
Get it with great shows from Rob Schmitt, Greta Van Susteren, Greg Kelly, Carl Higbie, Rob Finnerty – and many more!
Find the NEWSMAX channel on your cable system – Go Here Now
BEST OFFER:
Sign up for NEWSMAX+ and get NEWSMAX, our streaming channel NEWSMAX2 and our military channel World at War.
Find hundreds of shows, movies and specials.
Even get Jon Voight’s special series and President Trump’s comedy programs and much more!
Watch NEWSMAX+ on your smartphone or home TV app.
Watch NEWSMAX anytime, anywhere!
Start your FREE trial now: NewsmaxPlus.com
Theodore Bunker ✉
Theodore Bunker, a Newsmax writer, has more than a decade covering news, media, and politics.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.