A former Obama White House and senior national security official is facing a world of ire for harassing a halal food cart vendor.
The official, Stuart Seldowitz, was seen in videos posted on X taking pictures and harassing a Muslim food vendor in Manhattan.
I will see:
This man wearing a green jacket berated and harassed a halal cart vendor on 83rd and 2nd Ave in New York. Does anyone know who this man is? Planning to report to the authorities. pic.twitter.com/GwklyXpsPH
— Layla (@itslaylas) November 21, 2023
this man has been identified: Stuart Seldowitz. He is a career diplomat who has worked at the State Department and served as national security adviser under President Obama. I will provide this information to the authorities. pic.twitter.com/Xj1mD0EV6J
— Layla (@itslaylas) November 21, 2023
“[H]The harassment of the Halal cart vendor at 83rd and 2nd ave has been ongoing for two weeks. The NYPD has been called several times, the local committee said “there’s nothing they can do because it’s free speech,” according to Columbia grad student Layla, who posted the videos on X.
In the videos, Seldowitz is seen threatening to send a photo of the Muslim vendor to his “immigration friends” and Egyptian security services who, he said, would torture him “when they deport you back to Egypt.”
“Did you rape your daughter like Mohammed did?” he later asks as he laughs and snaps a photo of the seller.
At one point, the salesman informs Seldowitz that he doesn’t speak English, prompting the former Obama administration official to call him “ignorant” and claim that his lack of English speaking skills is the reason why he works in a food cart.
At another point, the former Obama administration official holds up an Israel pin and asks the seller if he has a permit and visa.
“You support killing little children,” Seldowitz says, arguing that the seller supports Hamas.
“You kill children, not me. Go,” the salesman replies.
“I didn’t kill children. If we killed 4,000 Palestinian children, it wasn’t enough,” Seldowitz replies.
this man continues to berate and harass the halal cart seller. He ends the video with “if we kill 4,000 Palestinian children? It wasn’t enough”. pic.twitter.com/yhu4HSvIEZ
— Layla (@itslaylas) November 21, 2023
his harassment of the Halal cart vendor at 83rd and 2nd Ave has been going on for two weeks.
The New York police have been called several times, the local committee stated that “there’s nothing they can do because it’s free speech.” pic.twitter.com/6LYL40TTFK— Layla (@itslaylas) November 21, 2023
if you want to help, @415_gemini visited today! Sam and Bahaa are very happy with all the support. here is Bahaa’s zelle QR code, they are taking orders in person (83rd & 2nd ave) or through doordash/grubhub. go support a great small business 🙂 https://t.co/EHNqUg9htA pic.twitter.com/PAukNiuwzK
— Layla (@itslaylas) November 22, 2023
All the clips have since gone mega-viral, attracting accusations of Islamophobia and costing Seldowitz his job as a lobbyist.
“According to a November 2022 announcement by Gotham Government Relations, a Manhattan-based lobbying firm, Mr. Seldowitz was the group’s new president of external affairs. In a brief biography that has since been withdrawn on the company’s website, it is described as a three-time recipient of the State Department’s Superior Honor Award.” The New York Times reported
“According to David Schwartz, the company’s president, Mr. Seldowitz was never an employee of Gotham Government Relations and was not registered, as far as Mr. Schwartz knew, as a lobbyist for the company “, the newspaper continued.
“I am personally outraged and offended by this language. Islamophobia and anti-Semitism have no place in our world and must be eradicated,” Schwartz told the Times, adding that he wants to provide pro-bono legal representation to the food cart vendor.
— Gotham Government Relations (@GothamGovt) November 21, 2023
Meanwhile, Seldowitz has admitted it The daily beast that was him in the videos.
“The bottom line is, yes, it’s me,” he told the network.
However, he defended himself by saying that the videos only told one side of the story and that the seller had started it by expressing his support for Hamas.
But it appears to be too late, as a number of high-profile figures have already condemned it, including New York Governor Kathy Hochul, New York City Mayor Eric Adams, and even and New York Attorney General Letitia James.
Look at:
This is hateful, disgusting and unacceptable.
Such vile rhetoric has no place in New York, and we condemn it in the strongest possible terms. https://t.co/I3QjK76hFz
— Governor Kathy Hochul (@GovKathyHochul) November 22, 2023
Islamophobia is hate. Plain and simple.
This vile and disrespectful rhetoric has no place in our city. We reject it, and we’re glad to see we’re not alone. https://t.co/pAkjrFMydR
— Mayor Eric Adams (@NYCMayor) November 21, 2023
This is disgusting, hateful, and New York will not tolerate it.
We will not tolerate Islamophobia or any form of hatred in our state. https://t.co/nMLdhWHvjZ
— NY AG James (@NewYorkStateAG) November 22, 2023
So who exactly is Seldowitz? During former President Barack Obama’s presidency, he served as “acting director of the National Security Council’s South Asia Directorate” and “deputy director/senior policy officer in the Office of Israel and Palestinian Affairs of the United States Department of State from 1999 to 2003,” according to Deputy Vice Pres. magazine
Looking ahead, it seems highly unlikely that he will serve again in a Democratic administration.
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