New York City Police arrested Stuart Seldowitz, former adviser to former President Barack Obama, on Wednesday after a video went viral of Seldowitz ranting at the owner of an Egyptian halal food cart.
WABC-7 New York reported that Seldowitz, 64, is facing hate crime charges after verbally harassing the 24-year-old Egyptian halal food cart owner on the Upper East Side on Manhattan during several interactions caught on video.
Seldowitz, who served as a former diplomat in the Obama administration, is facing four hate crime counts of stalking and one count of aggravated harassment, all considered to be misdemeanors, according to the report.
A White House press release from 2009 lists Seldowitz as "Acting Director for South Asia, NSC" attending a state dinner for then Indian Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh.
City & State reported that Seldowitz, who also served in the U.S. State Department's Office of Israel and Palestinian Affairs, admitted in an interview that he was involved in the videos posted by the cart owner.
"I did have an argument with a food vendor," Seldowitz told City & State. "It is quite possible that it's me. I've not seen the video, but I believe it's probably me."
In a phone interview with the WABC, Seldowitz said he "overreacted" during the confrontations with the cart owner and said he regrets his remarks, but also said there were no threats or intimidation.
"If we killed 4,000 Palestinian kids, it wasn't enough," Seldowitz says in one exchange captured on video and posted on the social media platform X.
Mohammed Hussein, 24, filed the criminal complaint against Seldowitz and returned to work at the cart Wednesday.
"I don't sleep well hearing those kinds of harsh comments regarding the Prophet Mohammed and asking the young kid if he raped his daughter and all that," Islam Moustafa, co-owner of the halal cart, told the news outlet, adding that there have been "several" confrontations since war erupted between the terrorist organization Hamas and Israel in October.
The public is showing up in long lines at the cart now to show support, Aljazeera reported.
New York-based Gotham Government Relations named Seldowitz as the Foreign Affairs Chair in November 2022, but cut ties with him after the videos went viral.
"Gotham Government Relations has ended all affiliation with Stuart Seldowitz," the lobbying firm said in a statement on its website. "The video of his actions is vile, racist and beneath the dignity of the standards we practice at our firm."
Charles Kim ✉
Charles Kim, a Newsmax general assignment writer, is an award-winning journalist with more than 30 years in reporting on news and politics.
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