Former White House Security Advisor Under President Obama Caught on Video Making Islamophobic Remarks and Harassing Halal Cart Vendor in New York City

Shocking videos have surfaced showing Stuart Seldowitz, a former White House security advisor who served under President Obama, engaging in a series of Islamophobic attacks on a halal cart vendor in New York City. In the videos, Seldowitz can be heard calling the vendor a “terrorist” and berating him for not speaking English. He also makes derogatory remarks about the Muslim prophet Mohammed, suggesting that he was a rapist. Furthermore, Seldowitz expresses support for the killing of Palestinian children amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict, stating that the previous death toll of 4,000 children was not enough.

The viral clips, which were posted on social media platform X by a Columbia graduate student, were filmed from the perspective of the vendor and captured Seldowitz's ongoing harassment over the course of two weeks. The videos, which appear to have been filmed at different times of the day, show Seldowitz wearing different clothing.

In one of the clips, Seldowitz threatens to send a photo of the vendor to his "friends in Immigration" and Egypt's security services, suggesting that the vendor would be tortured upon his deportation back to Egypt. He also asks the vendor if he raped his daughter like Mohammed did after snapping a photo of him and laughing.

The vendor, who repeatedly tells Seldowitz that he does not speak English, is met with further insults and berating. Seldowitz questions the vendor about his permit and visa, holds up an Israel pin to the window of the halal cart, and accuses him of supporting the killing of children.

The videos caught the attention of the NYPD, and the local precinct is monitoring the situation. Seldowitz, confirmed by the former diplomat himself, has faced widespread condemnation for his actions. Lobbying firm Gotham Government Relations, where Seldowitz worked as a consultant, announced that it has severed all ties with him following the release of the videos, describing his actions as "vile, racist, and beneath the dignity of the standards we practice at our firm."

Mayor Eric Adams, Governor Kathy Hochul, and New York Attorney General Letitia James all condemned Seldowitz's behavior, calling it hateful, disgusting, and unacceptable. Adams emphasized that Islamophobia is hate and has no place in the city, while Hochul stated that such vile rhetoric has no place in New York. James added that New York will not tolerate such behavior.

In response to the videos, Seldowitz claimed that they only show the vendor's side of the story and that he began harassing the vendor after the vendor expressed support for Hamas. However, he later issued an apology, expressing regret for his actions and acknowledging that he said things in the heat of the moment that he shouldn't have said.