New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is facing intense backlash after a symbolic pen used to sign executive orders for the 25th anniversary of 9/11 was presented to his chief counsel, Ramzi Kassem, who has a controversial legal history. Kassem previously represented Ahmed al-Darbi, a Guantánamo Bay detainee who pleaded guilty to war-crime charges linked to al Qaeda plots, and al-Darbi is the brother-in-law of Khalid al-Mihdhar, one of the hijackers on American Airlines Flight 77 that struck the Pentagon. Critics are calling the decision a “slap in the face to victims” and a deliberate act that undermines the solemnity of the 9/11 remembrance, especially given the proximity to the anniversary and the gravity of the attacks. Mamdani’s office stated Kassem was involved in drafting the executive orders, a standard part of his role as chief counsel, but the decision to hand him the ceremonial pen has ignited outrage on social media and among public figures, highlighting a perceived insensitivity to the victims and heroes of 9/11.
Adapted from: Latest Political News on Fox News
