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Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo hosted a press conference days before the 24th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in New York City, where speakers criticized Zohran Mamdani for associating with a Twitch streamer who once declared, "America deserved 9/11."
Steps from Ground Zero in Lower Manhattan, Cuomo stood alongside Sal Tururici, a longtime Fire Department of New York City (FDNY) emergency medical technician (EMT) and 9/11 first responder who was later diagnosed with terminal cancer.
"I am calling on Zohran Mamdani to disavow Hasan Piker and his hateful words. His association with Hasan Piker disqualifies him to serve in any role for New York City, let alone one as important as mayor," Tururici's wife, Wendi, who became an EMT following 9/11, said during Tuesday's press conference.
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The Cuomo campaign displayed posters of Mamdani and Piker posing together from earlier this year, as well as an image of Piker from his Twitch stream, where he claimed in 2019 that "America deserved 9/11."
The Mamdani campaign responded in a statement, "Andrew Cuomo knows exactly what he's doing. 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, and it's deliberate."
The Mamdani campaign argued that Cuomo has "used Muslims as convenient punching bags for decades."
"New Yorkers can see this for what it is - a cynical attempt to recycle the ugliest playbook in our politics. Cuomo is not protecting the memory of 9/11 victims; he's once again desecrating it by weaponizing grief and pain for his own ambition," the campaign added.
Piker himself echoed the Mamdani campaign's rebuttal during his livestream on Tuesday, Mediaite reported.
"These guys are incredibly desperate, and they'll get even more racist as the election nears," Piker said, arguing that Cuomo is "leaning on Islamophobia."
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Piker has attempted to clarify his comments since they went viral in 2019, acknowledging it was "inappropriate." But Rep. Ritchie Torres, D-N.Y., cited Piker's comments in a letter to Twitch executives last year, urging them to "stop popularizing those who popularize antisemitism."
After Mamdani appeared on Piker's Twitch stream earlier this year, he told Politico, "I am willing to speak to each and every person about this campaign, and I've said that from the beginning."
Cuomo did not address Piker's comments directly during Tuesday's press conference, but Wendi Tururici said Mamdani's association with Piker is not just politics, but "life and death."
The Tururici family endorsed Cuomo's New York City mayoral campaign on Tuesday.
"This is not just politics, this is personal," Cuomo said. "Sal's story is a reminder of why this work matters. Those benefits saved lives and honored sacrifice. Leadership is about life and death, protecting New Yorkers, doing the hard work, and delivering when it matters most."
Cuomo's press conference was hosted just eight weeks before Election Day, as The New York Times/Siena College poll conducted from Sept. 2-6 and released Tuesday morning revealed that the former governor is trailing Mamdani by 22 points.
The Cuomo campaign also confirmed to Fox News Digital on Tuesday two new hires in the final sprint to Election Day - veteran Democratic campaign strategist Greg Goldner and Democratic pollster Cornell Belcher.
