The Times of London apologized on Tuesday after it ran — and retracted — an interview with a person impersonating former New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio that seemed to run counter to the former mayor’s support of Democratic mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani.
The Rupert Murdoch-owned paper took the story down “after discovering that our reporter had been misled by an individual falsely claiming to be the former New York mayor,” it said in a statement to the New York Times. It said it apologized to de Blasio.
The initial story, posted on Tuesday evening, claimed de Blasio, an enthusiastic supporter of Mamdani, had grown skeptical of the candidate’s various policy proposals. “In my view, the math doesn’t hold up under scrutiny, and the political hurdles are substantial,” one quote from “de Blasio” read.
But after Andrew Cuomo’s campaign aides quickly pounced on the quotes, with one saying de Blasio had read the “fine print” of Mamdani’s policies, the former mayor quickly bashed the London paper for making the story up.
“I want to be 100% clear: The story in the Times of London is entirely false and fabricated,” de Blasio wrote on X. “It was just brought to my attention and I’m appalled. I never spoke to that reporter and never said those things. Those quotes aren’t mine, don’t reflect my views.”
It is an absolute violation of journalistic ethics,” he wrote in a second post. “The truth is I fully support [Mamdani] and believe his vision is both necessary and achievable.”
De Blasio, who frequently sparred with Cuomo during their time in elected office, endorsed Mamdani early last month. “I truly find him to be particularly perceptive, intelligent, open,” he said on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” saying Mamdani focused on “kitchen table issues.”
“Rarely have I met someone in public life who listens so well, and I think that’s crucial,” he said.
