Family of slain cops blast Mamdani’s flip-flop on police support

A widow and a mother of NYPD officers killed in the line of duty accuse Zohran Mamdani of political opportunism.

By World Israel News Staff

Bereaved family members of NYPD officers killed in the line of duty slammed far-left mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani’s recent pro-police statements, suggesting they were politically motivated and insincere.

Mamdani’s comments — a major departure from his previous stance on police — came shortly after a mass shooting in Midtown Manhattan in which an officer was killed, along with three civilians.

The gunman murdered Officer Didarul Islam, 36, who leaves behind a pregnant wife and two young sons.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Mamdani repeatedly called to defund the police and dismantle prisons.

“The entire carceral system is an unreformable public health hazard,” he posted on X in June 2020.

In another tweet from the same period, he wrote, “The NYPD is racist, anti-queer, and a major threat to public safety. No to fake cuts – defund the police!”

However, following the recent shooting — which occurred while Mamdani was vacationing at a luxury resort in Uganda, celebrating his wedding — he appeared to reverse course.

“I am not defunding the police; I am not running to defund the police,” Mamdani said at a press conference after visiting Officer Islam’s family.

His previous tweets are “clearly out of step” with his current position, Mamdani claimed.

Grace Machate, whose husband, Officer Robert Machate, 25, was murdered during a routine traffic stop, said she believed Mamdani’s support for police was driven by political ambition.

Like Islam’s wife, Machate was pregnant when her husband was killed.

“Right now, [Mamdani] is saying everything that these young people want to hear,” she told the New York Post, calling the socialist candidate “dangerous” for the city.

“Mamdani is making promises, but they are not reality,” she added.

Tatyana Timoshenko, the mother of Detective Russel Timoshenko — shot after pulling over a stolen car — also dismissed Mamdani’s remarks.

“Now, when a police officer is killed, he wants to say, ‘Oh, I support the police,’” she told the Post. “It’s too little, too late.”

Timoshenko added that she deeply sympathized with Islam’s family.

“This is breaking my heart all over again. It’s the worst nightmare for the family right now. Our hearts go out to them,” she said.