NYC Mayor Mamdani heckled as mother Mira Nair named in Epstein files: ‘You lied’

Just over a month since he took over as the mayor of New York City, Zohran Mamdani has faced a massive protest from his own supporters after his acclaimed Indian-American filmmaker mother, Mira Nair, was featured in the latest cache of Epstein Files released by the US’s justice department.

The matter turned worse as the 34-year-old Democrat was even heckled outside Gracie Mansion, the official residence of the mayor, in Manhattan.

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Videos surfaced showing a group of people shouting “shame” on a megaphone outside Mamdani’s house. They also accused him of lying to them.

'You lied to us'

Addressing Mamdani, who is the city’s youngest and first Muslim mayor, the protesters said they know his mother and supported him and voted for him in the mayoral election held in November last year, and then accused him of letting them down. “You lie to us, you lied, Zohran,” they clamoured.

The untoward incident happened after the 68-year-old Nair’s name appeared in an email associated with a 2009 social gathering at the residence of convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell. The email suggested that Nair was present at an "after party" for a film screening, which included notable individuals such as former US president Bill Clinton and Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos.

In October 2009, an email from Peggy Siegel, a long-time associate of Jeffrey Epstein, revealed the presence of Indian-born Nair along with the likes of Clinton, Bezos and other prominent individuals.

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“Just left Ghislaine’s townhouse after party for film. Bill Clinton and Jeff Bezos were there Jean Pigozzi, director Mira Nair etc. Film received tepid reaction although women like it much more Hillary Swank and Gere at stupid party in Bloomingdales cheap sportwear department very weird.

“Studio went for free party from store and windows for a month Going to be in Wall Street 2 tomorrow. more to come. xoxo Peg," it added.

While the email did not specify about the film, it is speculated to be Nair 2009-make Amelia, featuring Hillary Swank and Richard Gere. It may be mentioned here that Epstein, who was convicted in 2008 for soliciting prostitution from a minor, passed away in 2019.

Mamdani also seen at party linked to Epstein associate

On Sunday (February 1), Fox News reported that a photo featuring Mamdani himself, along with his mother, from a high-profile luncheon party associated with Siegal has surfaced, after the justice department released the reports having a reference to Nair.

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The photo, which dates back to November 2017, shows the newly elected Big Apple mayor smiling with his mother and others, including British actor Daniel Kaluuya and Indian filmmaker Shimit Amin, at a restaurant in Manhattan.

On January 30, US Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanch announced the justice department was making available over three million additional pages responsive to the Epstein Files Transparency Act. The Act was signed by US President Donald Trump on November 19 last year.

'Epstein Files'

The newly released cache of three million Epstein documents includes several big names, including former Prince Andrew, Bill Gates, Howard Lutnick, Elon Musk, and even Trump (mentioned more than 1,000 times in the latest releases), among others. Approximately 2.5 million pages are still unreleased. “Epstein files” pertains to a compilation of legal documents, court records, and investigative materials associated with Epstein, a wealthy financier who was convicted of running a sex trafficking operation featuring underage girls.