A CNN panel devolved into chaos after one guest alleged that New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani wants to do away with prisons.
The discussion centered around the 2026 midterms and how the Democratic National Committee (DNC) is “struggling” and “millions of dollars in debt.” CNN NewsNight host Abby Phillip voiced concern that the party could “squander” an opportunity to capitalize on Republican Party weaknesses by not having a tangible platform.
Watch:
“Our elections are, in fact, about choices, right? And it’s the Democrats versus Republicans. We went through why [President Donald] Trump is unpopular on a whole host of issues. But the other reporting that we got this weekend was that the DNC is struggling. They are millions of dollars in debt. They are so short on cash that they’ve asked their vendors not to bother to send bills until after the midterm elections. They have put a loan out on their headquarters to try to fund last year’s off-year elections. Not to mention any spending that they need to do this year. So they’re not exactly in a strong position to lead the party in this moment, which actually could cause Democrats to take a really good year for them and maybe squander it,” she fretted.
Lydia Moynihan, a New York Post columnist, suggested that the lack of party direction was due, in part, to its unwillingness to reject the socialist policies being adopted by many of its candidates.
“Yeah, that‘s that‘s very fair. And I think that‘s maybe why they‘re so reluctant to disavow some of these really extreme radical policies, like getting rid of prisons and opening the borders. Again, as we saw under Biden,” she said, sparking crosstalk from the panel. “No, this is the thing. So look, Zohran Mamdani, you mentioned Zohran Mamdani earlier, and you said- can I talk for a second? So look, so Zohran Mamdani, who you want to be part of this Democratic Party, who Chuck Schumer, Barack Obama, everyone has seemed to embrace. Yeah. He watched the World Cup at Rikers. He wants to get rid of prisons. He wants to abolish private property.”
Former Democratic congressman Isaiah Martin cut in to repeatedly question her claim.
“When did he ever say he wanted to get rid of prisons? When did he ever say he wanted to get rid of prisons, Lydia?”
He continued to heckle her as she tried to speak, and accused her of lying.
“I did not lie! Can I speak for two seconds? I’m not here to answer to you, OK?” she explained to Martin.
“You made the claim!” Martin exclaimed.
“Can I speak for two seconds? This is-” she tried to continue.
“When did he ever say he wanted to get rid of prisons?” Martin pressed.
“That’s part of his platform,” she said.
“When did he ever say that? When did he say that? You made a direct claim. When did he ever say that?” Martin repeated.
“He’s part of the DSA. I can point you to the website after. I’m happy to show you that,” Moynihan responded.
“He never said that. You’re happy to keep lying on air,” he said dismissively.
“Oh, my Lord. OK, I’m happy to put you to the website,” she stated.
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Sierra Marlee is a millennial whose hunger for the truth in a world of fake news has led her to write. Marlee also contributes to BizPac Review.
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