ADL report on antisemitism calls out Mamdani transition adviser's praise for Farrakhan

Chris Sommerfeldt, New York Daily News on Dec 22, 2025

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NEW YORK — A lawyer serving on New York Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani’s transition team has a track record of praising and associating with Louis Farrakhan, the Nation of Islam leader infamous for his bigoted rhetoric about Jews and others, according to a new report.

The details about Jacques Léandre, a local election lawyer who serves on the Mamdani transition’s Committee on Legal Affairs, were contained in a report set to be released Monday by the Anti-Defamation League. The ADL, which focuses on fighting antisemitism, has been screening Mamdani transition advisers for comments seen as hateful against Jewish people.

Last week, the ADL disclosed it had discovered Mamdani’s incoming City Hall appointments director, Cat Almonte Da Costa, made offensive social media posts about Jews when she was a teenager, prompting her to apologize and announce she would not join the mayor-elect’s administration.

The revelations touch on a sensitive issue for Mamdani. The mayor-elect’s stances on Israel, such as his support for divesting from the country in response to its treatment of Palestinians, have sparked criticism that his positions promote antisemitism, a charge he vehemently denies.

The latest ADL report, a copy of which was shared with the New York Daily News ahead of its publication, alleges roughly 20% of Mamdani’s 400 transition team members have a record of what the ADL characterizes as “making or sharing anti-Zionist or anti-Israel statements.”

The majority of those statements are criticisms of Israel’s war in Gaza — which Mamdani and many nations have labeled a genocide against Palestinians.

But some of the statements highlighted in the ADL report do not relate to Gaza, including ones made by Léandre.

According to ADL’s report, Léandre is a member of the Nation of Islam, the Black nationalist and Muslim group that Farrakhan has served as the leader of since 1981.

In a May 2019 Facebook post, Léandre, who uses the social media handle “Jacques Muhammad,” acknowledged Farrakhan had been banned from the platform for being “dangerous.” Still, he wrote he wanted his followers to join him “in wishing The Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan a Happy 86th Birth Anniversary; 64 years of which have been dedicated to reforming, defending and enriching the lives of countless men and women.”

“I personally thank him for inspiring me to aspire to dedicate my life towards the uplift of our community. This is not hate, but simply pure love and truth,” Léandre wrote in the post, which he capped off with the hashtags “#WeAreFarrakhan #TheMarahtonContinues.”

Farrakhan is notorious for making antisemitic statements, including calling Adolf Hitler “a great man.” He has also referred to Jews as being “Satanic.”

Léandre has identified himself on social media as a Nation of Islam member. He also attended Farrakhan’s 2022 Saviours’ Day event in Chicago, where the minister railed against “the Jews and their power.”

Léandre did not immediately return a request for comment Monday, and neither did a representative for Mamdani.

On Nov. 25, Léandre posted a Facebook photo of himself shaking hands with Mamdani after his appointment to his transition team. “Honored to share that I’ve been appointed to NYC Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani’s Transition Team — Legal Affairs Committee,” Léandre captioned the picture.

The ADL report says the fact that Léandre and others flagged for allegedly antisemitic comments made it onto Mamdani’s transition raises questions about his team’s vetting.

“The swift action taken in the Da Costa case demonstrates that when clear antisemitic statements are identified, Mayor-elect Mamdani’s team can and will respond appropriately,” the report stated, referring to the appointments director who resigned her position last week after her past posts resurfaced.

“This makes it all the more important to understand how other appointments with concerning backgrounds were made and what this reveals about the vetting standards that will be applied to actual administration positions.”

In the wake of the Da Costa controversy, Mamdani’s team said it was making changes to the transition’s vetting process.

“We’ve taken swift action to bring on an independent firm for additional support,” Mamdani spokeswoman Dora Pekec said Friday. His team hasn’t yet identified the firm that will be brought on to help with vetting.

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