Mamdani taps anti-Israel activist Ramzi Kassem as his chief counsel

Roughly a day before he is set to take office on January 1, New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani taps a longtime anti-Israel activist, Ramzi Kassem, as his chief counsel.

Kassem, who was on Mamdani’s transition team, is a longtime anti-Israel activist who was on the legal team for the Columbia University Palestinian protest leader, Mahmoud Khalil, after Khalil was detained by US authorities.

Kassem comes to the role after heading Creating Law Enforcement Accountability and Responsibility (CLEAR), a resident nonprofit and legal clinic at the CUNY Law School. CLEAR has advised some of the most hardline anti-Zionist activist groups in the city.

Kassem also served as a policy adviser on immigration to former US president Joe Biden’s administration.

Mamdani posts on social media that CLEAR “has been on the front lines of providing legal defense for students detained by ICE and supporting many more at risk.”

Welcome to A New Era, Ramzi Kassem!

Ramzi Kassem joins the administration from the City University of New York School of Law, where he co-founded and now co-directs CLEAR (Creating Law Enforcement Accountability & Responsibility), which has been on the front lines of providing… pic.twitter.com/KmDmYGFTbg

— Zohran Kwame Mamdani (@ZohranKMamdani) December 31, 2025