Penn, Emanuel Rebuke Mamdani Over 1 Million Properties and 90-Minute Israel Clash
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Jul 30
Penn, Emanuel Rebuke Mamdani Over 1 Million Properties and 90-Minute Israel Clash
3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Jul 30
Summary
Two veteran Democratic insiders broke with Zohran Mamdani this week, with Mark Penn attacking the mayor's property-tax rollout and Rahm Emanuel criticizing his rhetoric on Israel after a reported 90-minute private meeting.
Penn said Mamdani's new pied-a-terre tax and searchable owner database reached nearly 1 million property owners, far beyond the roughly 30,000 luxury homeowners he said had been presented as targets.
He argued the city's valuation system misclassified homes, could force owners to prove they are exempt, depress property values, deter investment and invite constitutional challenges.
Emanuel, speaking on the Unholy Podcast, said he told Mamdani that slogans such as "from the river to the sea" fuel perpetual conflict, though Mamdani communications director Anna Bahr publicly disputed his account.
The criticism stands out because it comes from prominent Democrats tied to the Clinton and Obama eras, sharpening scrutiny of the two issues central to Mamdani's rise: his left-wing economic agenda and stance on Israel.