Tennessee Rep. Andy Ogles claimed a Democratic lawmaker expressed support for his campaign to deport Democratic Socialist and New York City mayoral hopeful Zohran Mamdani, saying they hope it is “successful.”
Ogles appeared Thursday on “The Benny Show,” a podcast hosted by conservative commentator Benny Johnson, where he made a stunning claim about bipartisan support for his efforts against Mamdani.
“I had a Democratic member of Congress come up to me on the House floor yesterday,” Ogles said. “And he said, ‘You know what, this is officially where I’d say you’re a horrible human being for targeting Zohran in New York. But the reality is, we hope, we as Democrats, hope you’re successful because he’s the worst thing that’s ever happened to our party.'”
“That’s a Democratic member of Congress coming to me on the House floor and thanking me for targeting this knucklehead, because he’s a Socialist Marxist,” Ogles continued. “He’s gonna destroy the city of New York.”
The former Tennessee mayor went on to argue that Mamdani “represents everything that’s wrong with the Democratic Party,” claiming Mamdani’s run will help Republicans win the midterms and the White House—again—in four years.
Last week, Ogles sent a letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi urging a federal investigation into whether Mamdani, a naturalized U.S. citizen born in Uganda, could potentially be deported for past statements, including a rap performance in which he called for the release of the Holy Land Five.
The group of five men was convicted and sentenced to between 15 and 65 years in prison in 2008 for allegedly supporting terrorism, money laundering and tax fraud through the Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development.
On Monday, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt stated that, if true, Ogles’ accusation warrants an investigation. President Donald Trump has also condemned Mamdani, warning that he could face arrest if he interferes with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations.
Originally published on Latin Times
