George Bush, Zohran Mamdani Come Face to Face at 9/11 Event — Look What Happens Next
Photo Of Bush, Mamdani Goes Viral At 9/11 Event
As the United States marks 25 years since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, Americans across the country are gathering to honor the nearly 3,000 people who perished and reflect on the day that forever changed the nation.
In New York City, leaders like Vice President JD Vance and past presidents Joe Biden, Barack Obama, and George W. Bush were seen mingling with other leaders ahead of the memorial ceremony at the World Trade Center.
One moment quickly went viral on social media after Bush and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani shook hands—but Bush did not appear too friendly with the socialist Muslim mayor.
Mamdani has faced criticism several times this week as the country prepares for 9/11.
Mamdani was slammed earlier this week in an unexpected moment during a City Hall ceremony marking the upcoming 25th anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks.
After signing executive orders honoring 9/11 victims and strengthening city emergency preparedness, Mamdani directed that the ceremonial pen be passed to one of his senior aides, whose past legal work quickly became the focus of controversy.
The ceremony was intended to establish September 11 as an annual citywide Day of Remembrance and Service while also updating the city’s continuity planning.
Video and reporting from the event showed Mamdani handing the pen to NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch and quietly asking her to pass it along.
Tisch then handed the ceremonial pen to Mamdani’s chief counsel, Ramzi Kassem, a longtime attorney who previously represented Guantánamo Bay detainee Ahmed al-Darbi.
Incredible photo of George W. Bush and Zohran Mamdani at the Ground Zero memorial service. pic.twitter.com/KC0fDIdjNt
— Martin Walsh (@martinwalsh__) September 11, 2026
Al-Darbi pleaded guilty before a military commission to terrorism-related charges stemming from the 2002 bombing of the French oil tanker MV Limburg off Yemen.
His family also had a direct connection to the September 11 attacks through his brother-in-law Khalid al-Mihdhar, one of the hijackers aboard American Airlines Flight 77, which struck the Pentagon.
Kassem’s legal representation of al-Darbi was part of a broader career focused on national-security, civil-rights and Guantánamo Bay cases.
CUNY School of Law records confirm that Kassem and his students worked on al-Darbi’s case while Kassem directed the school’s immigrant-rights clinic, and that he has represented numerous detainees held at Guantánamo.
Mamdani is under fire after a symbolic 9/11 pen was handed to a former al Qaeda defense lawyer.
Kassem now serves as chief counsel to Mamdani and was listed by the mayor at Friday’s ceremony among senior administration officials involved in the event.
City Hall told the New York Post that Kassem attended because his office helped draft both executive orders as part of his responsibilities as chief counsel.
The symbolism of giving him the signing pen nevertheless drew immediate criticism from relatives of 9/11 victims and Republican members of the New York City Council.
Dennis Warchola, whose firefighter brother Michael died in the North Tower, questioned why someone with Kassem’s legal history would be singled out during a ceremony commemorating the attacks.
Council Member Joann Ariola described the move as “breathtakingly tone-deaf and disrespectful,” arguing that the anniversary should focus on victims and their families.
Retired NYPD detective Michael Alcazar also criticized the symbolism, telling the Post he believed the handoff had been calculated, although no evidence has emerged establishing that Mamdani intended the gesture as a political statement.
The mayor’s executive orders themselves focus explicitly on honoring those killed on September 11, first responders, survivors and families affected by the attacks.
The remembrance order directs city agencies to observe moments of silence, hold commemorative programs and promote volunteer service each September 11.
A second order announced alongside it updates emergency preparedness procedures and creates a new interagency team aimed at maintaining essential city operations during future crises.
Mamdani said the orders were intended to demonstrate that “Never Forget” should involve both remembrance and concrete preparation to protect New Yorkers.
The controversy therefore centers not on the substance of the executive orders but on the ceremonial decision to give the signing pen to Kassem.
Kassem’s work representing accused or convicted terrorism suspects was undertaken in his role as an attorney, and legal representation does not imply endorsement of a client’s conduct or ideology.
VIDEO: Chaos At Obama's Home – Secret Service Calls For Back-Up As Fight Breaks Out
VIDEO: Chaos at Obama’s Home As Secret Service Agents Brawl Outside
A video of a confrontation between two Secret Service officers has surfaced a week after a report said there had been a scuffle among agents outside of former President Barack Obama’s Washington, D.C., residence.
The video was obtained by RealClearPolitics national correspondent Susan Crabtree, who broke the original story of the fight between the two female agents.
Crabtree noted on the X platform that she had “obtained video of the fight between two women Secret Service Uniformed Division Officers outside former President Obama’s residence last week after one officer called a supervisor to come before ‘I whoop this girl’s ass.'”
“The skirmish is raising new questions about whether DEI is still plaguing the USSS despite Trump’s directive to abolish it. The Secret Service has not responded to my inquiries on whether these two officers are being disciplined and/or are still on the job,” she added.
“I need a supervisor out here… immediately before I whoop this girl’s ass,” one of the women said into the radio last week.
FRACAS OUTSIDE OBAMA RESIDENCE RAISES NEW QUESTIONS: Get a supervisor “immediately before I whoop this girl’s ass.”
Two female Secret Service Uniformed Division officers got into a physical fight outside former… pic.twitter.com/RmEDx6BWXD
— Susan Crabtree (@susancrabtree) May 22, 2025
The Secret Service confirmed the fight between the two agents to the New York Post.
“The U.S. Secret Service is aware of an on-duty altercation that occurred between two Uniformed Division officers at approximately 2:30 a.m. on May 21,” the spokesman said.
“The individuals involved were suspended from duty and this matter is the subject of an internal investigation,” the spokesperson told the outlet. “The Secret Service has a very strict code of conduct for all employees and any behavior that violates that code is unacceptable. Given this is a personnel matter, we are not in a position to comment further.”
“The woman officer who made the call was upset that her shift replacement was late and assailed her verbally and physically when she finally did arrive to relieve her. Audio of the early a.m. call is now circulating among agents and officers and is attached to this X post,” Crabtree wrote last week in a lengthy X post when she first reported the incident.
“It’s unclear whether either woman was injured or whether they will be disciplined over the altercation. The fight did not wake anyone in the Obama residence or the surrounding neighborhood, the sources said,” she added.
“The incident is raising new concerns among fellow Secret Service agents and officers about the agency’s lowering of hiring standards during years of a major DEI push to add more minorities and women to the ranks under previous Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle,” Crabtree continued.
“Cheatle resigned under a cloud after the J13 assassination attempt against Donald Trump. The Secret Service for years has experienced low morale and a severe manpower shortage, which is also contributing to lower hiring standards as the agency works to increase its agents and officers,” she said, referencing the July 13 incident in Butler, Pa.
She added in another X post: “Numerous sources in the Secret Service community have questioned whether Sean Curran, who Trump tapped to lead the agency, is doing anything to roll back the agency’s DEI initiatives. For instance, they wonder if he has rescinded Cheatle’s previous commitment to a national 30×30 pledge that has a goal of hiring 30% women in law enforcement by 2030.”
