DOUBLE-DOWN BACKLASH: Mamdani slammed over Netanyahu rhetoric

This is pure political theater. CB. Cotton reporting. CB. >> Hey, Harris. So, yes, Israeli Prime. Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is pushing. back against New York City's Democratic. Socialist Mayor Zora Mdani, who called. Netanyahu a war criminal. But in a. lengthy social media post, Netanyahu. defended his leadership and Israel's. actions and said, "Mom Donnie needs to. focus on running New York City." The. public sparring comes after Madani's. interview with the New York Times where. he said the city is exploring whether it.

can arrest Netanyahu if the Israeli. leader visits this fall for the United. Nations General Assembly. Last year on. the campaign trail, Mdani first vowed to. pursue Netanyahu's arrest. And when. speaking to the Times, Mani cited a 2024. international criminal court warrant. issued for Netanyahu over alleged war. crimes in Gaza, allegations that Israel. has denied. What you will find is that is an opinion. that is held by many purely because of. what his actions have wrought over these.

last many years. Whatever the law allows. me to do in New York City, that's what. we will do. But we won't be writing our. own laws to that end. >> Legal experts tell Fox diplomatic. immunity typically applies to sitting. heads of government during United. Nations visits and that Manny has no. authority to arrest Netanyahu for. several other reasons. He has no authority uh to direct anyone. to execute a warrant issued by the. International Criminal Court. The United. States does not recognize the.

jurisdiction of the International. Criminal Court. >> We have reached out to the mayor's. office about Mom Donniey's comments on. Netanyahu, but haven't heard back. In. about an hour, Mom Donnie is expected to. hold a news conference with small. business leaders. Harris will be moni. monitoring to see whether he also. addresses this fallout. Back to you. >> All right, CB. Thank you very much. B, >> I believe that Prime Minister Netanyahu. belongs in the H. He's a war criminal. who has been charged by the.

International Criminal Court. Whatever. the law allows me to do in New York. City, that's what we will do. But we. won't be writing our own laws to that. end. That's an active conversation with. our legal department in seeing what the. prospects are we have here in our. municipality. >> Okay. Hey, what about that? Vicky. Paladino is not shy. She's a New York. City council woman and she's with me. now. Vicki, nice to see you. It's been a. couple months. Welcome back here. Are we. going to see an arrest handcuffed for. the prime minister come September? >> Good to see you, Bill. Uh, no. This is.

an act of uh soft act of insurrection. Uh, he's really pushing his luck here uh. tremendously. uh he doesn't know what. he's talking about, but unfortunately he. thinks that he is uh above it all. He is. the mayor of the city of New York. He. has got no right to do what he's going. to do. But listen, let's not take this. lightly. You know, this is not a joke. The idea that a mayor of New York City. or any city actually thinks he has power.

over and above what he does and he wants. to come across like this uh king, let's. just say, or the superior leader of us. all is absolute nonsense. And uh you. know, I hope I really do hope because. this could be just what we need to get. this communist out. He's pushing it and. but the biggest thing for me is I don't. want anybody to take this lightly. >> Dami who is against the police, he has.

no basis whatsoever to arrest uh the. prime minister of Israel. This is just. theater. They're all theater. He's a. performance. He's an actor. Uh smile to. the camera. That's former New York Governor Andrew. Cuomo joining a chorus of critics. railing against Mayor Zoran Mdani. He. threatened to arrest Israeli Prime. Minister Benjamin Netanyahu when he. visits the United Nations General.

Assembly in September. I I think other. people would have a word about that like. actual dictators coming here and we. don't arrest them because it's at the. UN. Netanyahu's office offered this. back. Mr. M Donnie should focus on. fixing the damage his policies have. caused New York. Exclamation point from. me. Danny Denon, Israeli ambassador to. the UN said instead of focusing on his.

responsibilities as mayor and. confronting the rising wave of. anti-semitism in his city, he has chosen. to incite hostility. And former. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, this is. pure political theater. >> Former New York City Mayor Eric Adams is. here. Um, Mayor Adams, good to see you. Thank you very much for joining us. >> Thank you. >> It's nice to have you on. Um I I want to. hold that thought for a moment and just. get your quick reaction to what happened. at the 26 federal uh building downtown. at this explosion this morning. >> Yeah, it's still under, you know,

review, investigation, and you know, I'm. going to allow the police department to. look into it as well as any of our. partners. I'm pretty sure federal. authorities also will be part of it. >> All right, we we'll get back around to. that in just a moment. But with regard. to this suggestion um that he was he'll. use whatever legal means are available. to him to arrest Netanyahu if he comes. to the UN. What's your reaction to that? >> Well, first of all, u it doesn't take. corporation council weeks and months to. tell him he has no legal means. He knows.

that. And did he speak with the police. commissioner? Uh because who's going to. actually do the arrest? Or is he in. partnership with the federal. authorities? And so we have to think. about um how this rhetoric is first of. all is bad to do but it's also dangerous. for Americans abroad. You know since. being out of office I've traveled to. different countries. Uh you cannot send. a signal that right here in America. we're not going to respect a sovereign.

leader of a country and you're going to. talk about as a local mayor arresting. arresting the individual. This is just. bad to even put that statement out. >> You know, I over the course of the last. couple of decades, I've heard people say. that they don't think that the Iranian. president should be allowed to speak at. the UN. But time in and time out, the. Iranian president comes. In fact, last. time uh he was here, Peski, and I. interviewed him and he spoke at the UN. I I don't hear four months later, the. Iranian government slaughtered tens of.

thousands of people in the street. I. don't hear Merani suggesting that he. shouldn't come. >> No. And and you're right. and his. selective. uh morality. Uh you did not hear the. same people who march in our streets on. thousands um during the uh Gaza actions. You did not hear their words when soccer. players, girls were being threatened. with death, when innocent people were. being murdered in Iran. So it's not. really about addressing uh the issues.

that are important. And so. >> what's it about for Mayor Money? Well, I. think the the level of creating an. environment for uh Jewish New Yorkers, uh continuing to raise the heat on. Jewish New Yorkers is I think that's one. of the principles of the DSA. Uh the. attacks on Israel, our only uh strong. partner that we have, uh they're not. calling death to Americans. They're not. calling for the destruction for our way. of life. I think that that's the.

rhetoric that's coming out of DSA and um. city hall at this time. You're a. lifelong Democrat. You ran as an. independent um when things shifted in in. the mayor's race. The Hunter Biden. speaking out. Um he sees he sees a lot. of leadership qualities in Mayor Mani. Watch this. >> People like Zoran Mani and they go, "Oh. my god, it's the end of the Democratic. party." I look at Zoran Mandani and I. go, "There's a leader.". >> I completely agree. >> Every single thing that they talked.

about was, you know, people are going to. flee the city and they're going to go. crazy. and he made promises and you know. what he did? He kept them. >> Yeah, >> he kept them. >> He's lowering rent. He's building um uh. co-op grocery stores. >> So, he sees accomplishments lower rent. um building government grocery stores. What do you say to Hunter Biden? >> Well, clearly he he doesn't have a. complete analysis of what's happening on. this city. You know, when you have 12. blocks by the Intrepid where homeless. encampments are now starting to spread.

and grow. Um he did not lower rent. just. talked to the Mitchell Lama uh family. members that's that witnessed almost a. 30% uh increase. Uh there are no uh free. buses. So I'm not sure what issues uh. Hunter Biden is talking about, but I. would ask him to come walk with me down. and see by the intrepid of what our city. is turning. >> I asked the DSA co-chair about that. encampment the other day and his answer. was, "Oh, those have always been there.". >> What do [laughter] you say? Well, uh, I.

know what I did as mayor and 14 people. did not die on the street of the city of. New York during a storm and you know and. everyone knows that we did not tolerate. encampments on our streets and we must. do more to make sure we don't go. backwards. So, if they want to be. dismissive or they want to have the. advocates that don't fully understand. what is taking place, that is up to. them. But New Yorkers are going to see. the difference. Mayor Adams, we always. appreciate you coming by. Uh, and we. hope we can continue the conversation.

Thank you very much, sir. Good to have. you with us today. Mayor, >> former mayor Eric Adams of New York. Uh, still Eric Adams, but former mayor. Always good to see you, sir. Thank you. very much. >> All right, welcome back. New York City's. mayor is doubling down on his threats to. arrest Israel's prime minister when he. arrives here in the Big Apple for the. annual UN General Assembly. Take a. listen. >> I believe that Prime Minister Netanyahu. belongs in the Hake. He's a war criminal. who has been charged by the. International Criminal Court. Whatever.

the law allows me to do in New York. City, that's what we will do. But we. won't be writing our own laws to that. end. That's an active conversation with. our legal department in seeing what the. prospects are we have here in our. municipality. >> And there's more. Let's go ahead and. bring in John U, former deputy assistant. attorney general, law professor at UC. Berkeley. John, take a listen to this. Uh, there was more. The mayor actually. went on to call him an architect of. genocide. Take a quick listen. >> When it comes to Benjamin Netanyahu,

we're speaking about someone who's the. subject of an international criminal. court arrest warrant. And he's the. subject of this arrest warrant for. alleged crimes against humanity um for. war crimes and is the architect of the. genocide against Palestinians in Gaza as. Israel's prime minister. These are not. facts of my personal assessment. They. are facts of public record. backs of I mean sounds like an open and. check case to me. What about you, John? >> Well, I think the mayor needs to read. the Constitution and the laws of the.

United States first before he starts. throwing out baseless accusations of. genocide and violating international. law. Put aside for that, I think. personally that there Israel has every. right to defend itself and has been. doing so consistent with the laws of. war. But this is a question of the. sovereignty of the United States, which. the mayor apparently does not believe. in. First, the United States and Israel. are not signitories to the ICC, so. they're not bound by it. Second, under. our Constitution, as interpreted by the.

Supreme Court repeatedly, states and. cities cannot interfere with the federal. government's Washington DC's control. over foreign foreign policy. And on this. score, I have to bring in my own. personal experience. After the 911. attacks, the Bush administration and I. was an official of the Justice. Department, we participated with. Congress to pass a law that prohibits. any official in the United States, from. cooperating with the ICC. So what Mayor. Mandami is calling on is for the.

officials of New York City, including. himself, to violate federal law. So in. the end, it's not Netanyahu to be. arrested and investigated. I'm not. trying to exaggerate here. the mayor is. violating the American servicemen. Protections Act passed in 2002 and the. Justice Department should be. investigating him and the president. under that law is authorized to use all. necessary means to prevent any American. or ally from being handed over to that. court. So if Mayor Mandami wants to. spend a lot of time dealing with FBI.

agents and justice department. investigators, well, he just started. that. He just launched that whole. process for himself and the residents of. New York City. But he's a savvy guy, right? You don't. get elected mayor of the biggest city in. the world if you're a dummy. So why what. is this? It's just some kind of a. political cat call for him. >> Yeah. I don't know if I can add more. than what you've heard from other. political analysts and guests who've. said that Mayor Madami is appealing to. this large sort of socialist friendly.

base of young people in New York City. who are becoming increasingly I'm afraid. anti-semitic and anti-Israel. >> But the question is is he acting. consistent with the law of the United. States? and he is not and he should be. investigated by the Justice Department. by the Trump administration because of. that. >> President Trump weighing in on Truth. Social just a moment ago. He writes, "Benjamin Netanyahu will not be arrested. in any way, shape, or form while in the. United States of America." So, there's.

that. John, I want to ask you while we. have you about uh the this incendiary. device planted at this federal building. here in New York earlier this morning. Take a listen to Tom H. Homeman. He was. on with Sandra uh top of the hour. President Trump has said a thousand. times, we will not stand by and let any. anybody violate the law, especially when. it comes to domestic terror acts like. this or attacks against ICE officers. Attacks against ICE office up over. 1400%. Zero tolerance. President Trump. told me this himself. Zero tolerance.

>> What's your response to that, John? Well, it is a obvious violation of. federal law to try to bomb a federal. building. It's 20 years at least in. prison. Again, this brings me back to. other government service. I was working. in the Senate when the Oklahoma City. bombing occurred and we we ratcheted up. the penalties for these kinds of. attacks. But most importantly, I would. urge that the Trump administration.

investigate to make sure this is not. part of some kind of wider conspiracy. that's not connected with Antifa and. other far-left protests, maybe inspired. by the kind of chatter you're hearing. about, right, the United States and. Israel committing war crimes or the. United States violating its own laws or. constitutional rights, which you think. are exaggerated and untrue, but might be. leading to some kind of criminal consp. conspiracy in the country to attack.

federal officers and buildings. >> and a scary moment here uh in the city. for civilians today. Uh John, we got to. leave it there. Thanks for taking time. with us. Appreciate it. >> Thank you. Be sure to like and subscribe for all. the Fox News latest on YouTube and catch. full shows streaming now on Fox.