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New York Dem accused of ‘staged’ arrest after being released by federal authorities within hours
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New York City Comptroller Brad Lander, a Democrat, has been released after being held for only a few hours for allegedly assaulting an immigration official on Tuesday.
While Lander, who is running for mayor of New York City, is now being held up as a hero by many progressives, some say his arrest was more political theater than activism.
Joe Borelli, a former New York City councilman and GOP political operative, told Fox News Digital that he believes Lander’s arrest was a «staged event.»
«Election day is a week from today, and early voting has begun. Make no mistake, the purpose was to get the headlines that he’s getting,» said Borelli. «It’s instant name recognition and establishing even stronger liberal bona fides.»
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New York City Comptroller Brad Lander, a Democrat, (left) has been released after being held for only a few hours for allegedly assaulting an immigration official on Tuesday. (New York City Comptroller Brad Lander website)
Speaking with Fox News Digital, Borelli likened Lander’s arrest to the recent arrest of Newark Democrat Mayor Ras Baraka and the detaining of Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., who were both detained for allegedly disrupting different federal events.
«This is the playbook for lefty politicians who want to make a get-a-headline. They try to get arrested, they get arrested and then fake outrage over getting arrested,» he said.
He went on to say that Lander’s arrest was part of a «coordinated plan» that «not only benefits Brad Lander but also Zohran Mamdani, who he has cross-endorsed.»
New York City works on a ranked choice voting system, allowing voters to rank candidates in order of preference and select multiple candidates.
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«So any momentum Brad gets helps that left-leaning faction led by Zohran at the expense of Cuomo,» explained Borelli, adding that «the real loser is the taxpayers.»
Lander was arrested by Department of Homeland Security (DHS) agents on Tuesday after allegedly assaulting a federal officer.
Video footage of Lander’s arrest appeared to show him hanging onto Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents as they escorted a defendant out of immigration court at 26 Federal Plaza, repeatedly asking officials if they had a judicial warrant.
New York City Comptroller Brad Lander was arrested by DHS agents on June 17, 2025. (Brad Lander/X)
«I will let go when you show me the judicial warrant,» Lander said in the video. «Where is it? Where is the warrant?»
Hours later, Lander walked out of the federal courthouse where he was being held. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said during a news conference outside the courthouse that the charges against Lander had been dropped, though the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York said it is «continuing to investigate» Lander’s actions.
In response to the incident, a DHS spokesperson said, «Our heroic ICE law enforcement officers face a 413% increase in assaults against them—it is wrong that politicians seeking higher office undermine law enforcement safety to get a viral moment.»
«No one is above the law, and if you lay a hand on a law enforcement officer, you will face consequences,» said the spokesperson.
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NYC Comptroller and Mayoral candidate Brad Lander speaks during a press conference on February 18, 2025 in New York City. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
Speaking after his release on Tuesday, Lander said, «I’m grateful to hear that the charges are not being brought. But if they are, I’ve got a lawyer. I don’t have to worry about my due process rights.»
Lander accused the Trump administration of «stripping» illegal immigrants of their due process rights.
During the press conference outside the federal building, Lander said: «This is a critical time to have a mayor who will stand up to ICE and stand up to Donald Trump and insist on due process and the laws of this city. This is a sanctuary city. I was proud to cosponsor those laws. And I’m going to show up and defend them.»
He thanked the several other New York City Democratic mayoral candidates who protested his arrest and took aim at former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, who is the leading candidate for New York City mayor, saying, «New Yorkers deserve better in a mayor than Andrew Cuomo.»
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Mayoral candidate Andrew Cuomo condemned the arrest, calling ICE «out of control.» ( REUTERS/David ‘Dee’ Delgado)
«I am very grateful to the other mayoral candidates who came out here to call for my release … and I really hope New Yorkers will elect one of us,» said Lander.
New York Senate Republican Leader Rob Ortt responded to the incident by telling Fox News Digital that «anyone who obstructs or assaults law enforcement officials – including attention-hungry politicians – deserves to be arrested.»
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William O’Reilly, a New York Republican political consultant, also chimed in, telling Fox News Digital that he believes «Lander is just the latest idiotic New York City progressive getting arrested for supporting lawbreakers.»
«More than half of the Democratic mayoral field is running on a platform of defying U.S. immigration law. That’s all responsible voters should need to know,» said O’Reilly.
Lander’s office and campaign did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Fox News Digital’s Alexandra Koch contributed to this report.
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Leavitt scoffs at reporter who questioned when Trump has been ‘falsely called racist’: ‘You’re kidding?’
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White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt on Wednesday pushed back on a reporter who asked for examples of when the president had been «falsely called racist.»
«Yesterday, in his statement about Jesse Jackson, the president said ‘despite the fact that I’m falsely and consistently called a racist by the scoundrels and lunatics and the radical left Democrats all, it was always my pleasure to help Jesse along the way.’ Where or when does the president believe he’s been falsely called racist?» the reporter asked.
Leavitt responded to the reporter in disbelief and asked if he was «kidding,» to which the reporter replied that he was not.
«I will pull you [a] plethora of examples. I’m going to get my team in that room to start, going through the Internet of radical Democrats throughout the years and who have accused this president falsely of being a racist. And I’m sure there’s many people in this room and on network television across the country who have accused him of the same. In fact, I know that because I’ve seen it with my own eyes,» Leavitt said.
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White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt speaks during a news briefing in the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House on Feb. 18, 2026, in Washington, D.C. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
The press secretary noted that the president was scheduled on Wednesday to hold an event marking Black History Month. Additionally, she listed a number of policy accomplishments aimed at benefiting both the Black community and Americans as a whole, such as the administration’s commitment to funding Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and the establishment of Trump accounts.
«So, there is a lot this president has done for all Americans, regardless of race, and he has absolutely been falsely called and smeared as a racist. And I’m happy to provide you those receipts, and we gladly will right after this briefing,» Leavitt added.
Donald Trump and Jesse Jackson attend Tyson-Spinks Boxing Match on June 27, 1988, at the Trump Plaza Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey. (Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images)
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The reporter was referring to President Donald Trump’s post regarding the death of Reverend Jesse Jackson, who died on Tuesday at the age of 84. The president, who posted several pictures of himself with Jackson, remembered the late reverend as a «good man with lots of personality, grit and ‘street smarts’» before making the remarks about being falsely labeled as a racist.
Trump noted that he supported and «provided office space» for Jackson and the reverend’s civil rights organization, the Rainbow PUSH Coalition. Additionally, Trump said that he had responded to Jackson’s «request for help getting criminal justice reform passed and signed, when no other president would even try.» The president also touted his own work to secure long-term funding for HBCUs.
«Jesse was a force of nature like few others before him,» Trump said before seemingly taking a swipe at the reverend over his support of former President Barack Obama’s candidacy.
Donald Trump and The Reverend Jesse Jackson with singers from the hotel lounge act at the Tyson vs Holmes pre-fight party at Trump Plaza Casino Hotel in Atlantic City, N.J., Jan. 22, 1988. (Jeffrey Asher/ Getty Images)
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«He loved his family greatly, and to them I send my deepest sympathies and condolences. Jesse will be missed!» Trump added.
The president has often faced accusations of racism from prominent Democrats, including his most recent predecessor, former President Joe Biden. Trump has long pushed back against the notion, highlighting his relationships with prominent Black figures during his celebrity days and his policy moves during his time as president.
politics,donald trump,white house
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UN Security Council moves up session on Gaza, West Bank ahead of Trump’s inaugural Board of Peace meeting
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The United Nations Security Council will convene a high-level meeting Wednesday to address the fragile Gaza ceasefire and Israel’s expanding operations in the West Bank as diplomatic attention shifts toward President Donald Trump’s upcoming inaugural Board of Peace meeting.
The session in New York was initially planned for Thursday but was moved up, according to The Associated Press, after Trump announced that his newly formed Board of Peace would meet the same day, creating scheduling conflicts for diplomats expected to attend both events.
The AP reported that the foreign ministers of the United Kingdom, Israel, Jordan, Egypt and Indonesia are expected to attend the monthly Middle East meeting of the 15-member U.N. Security Council.
Several Arab and Islamic nations requested the session last week to address the situation in Gaza and Israel’s expansion of settlements in the West Bank before some of their leaders head to Washington.
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Palestinian U.N. Ambassador Riyad Mansour speaks to the media on behalf of the Arab Group at the United Nations Headquarters in New York City Feb. 17, 2026. (Zamek/VIEWpress via Getty Images)
Trump announced Monday that member states of his newly formed Board of Peace have pledged more than $5 billion toward humanitarian aid and reconstruction efforts in Gaza.
He said participating countries have also committed thousands of personnel to an international stabilization force and local policing efforts aimed at maintaining security in the enclave.
In outlining the initiative, Trump said Hamas must adhere to what he described as a commitment to «full and immediate demilitarization,» framing the effort as a broader push toward regional stability.
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Palestinians shop for food beneath a destroyed building in Gaza City’s Zawiya market Feb. 18, 2026, during the first days of Ramadan. (Omar Al-Qattaa/AFP via Getty Images)
Israel formally joined the Board of Peace Feb. 11 ahead of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s meeting with Trump at the White House.
Netanyahu was not present at the initial ceremony held in Davos, Switzerland, in late January, where leaders from 17 countries, including presidents and other senior government officials from Latin America, Europe, the Middle East and Central and Southeast Asia signed the founding charter alongside Trump.
Netanyahu later agreed to join the initiative after previously raising concerns about the composition of the Gaza executive board, particularly the roles of Qatar and Turkey.
President Donald Trump, center, holds up a signed Board of Peace charter during the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Jan. 22, 2026. (Evan Vucci/AP Photo)
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A number of other countries were invited by the White House to participate, including Russia, Belarus, France, Germany, Vietnam, Finland, Ukraine, Ireland, Greece and China.
Poland and Italy said they would not join the board.
united nations,middle east,donald trump
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