Gotham/X (@itslaylas) Stuart Seldowitz
Stuart Seldowitz was an adviser in former President Barack Obama’s White House and a senior national security official who is accused of being the man in a viral video who made racist comments about Muslims and Egyptians to a halal cart vendor in New York City.
“This man wearing a green jacket was berating and harassing a halal cart vendor off 83rd and 2nd Ave in NYC. Does anyone know who this man is? Planning to report to the authorities,” an X user named Layla wrote on November 21, 2023, sending the video, which you can watch below, viral. Be aware that the video is disturbing.
After people on X identified Seldowitz as the man in the viral video, which you can watch later in this story, Gotham Government Relations wrote on X on November 21, 2023, “Gotham Government Relations has ended all affiliation with Stuart Seldowitz, an individual who hasn’t contributed to our work in years. The video of his actions is vile, racist, and beneath the dignity of the standards we practice at our firm.”
In November 2022, Gotham wrote in a press release that Seldowitz was “former Director of the National Security Council under President Obama and former diplomat for the U.S. State Department serving during five presidencies,” describing him as “our Foreign Affairs Chair.”
Gotham was responding to a post from a man who tagged the company’s X page and wrote, “I will personally take the mission to inform EACH one of your clients by phone, letter, walking or even crawling to their positions to tell them about this video if you dont FIRE this racist islamophobe Stuart.”
A cache of a now-deleted biography page for him on Gotham says, “Stuart Seldowitz brings a distinguished career in federal and state government with interests in governmental, political, and business fields.” However, another bio on a different page for the company reads of Seldowitz, “In the early 2000s, he worked as Acting Director for the National Security Council South Asia Directorate under the order of the Executive Office of the President.”
Here’s what you need to know:
In the Viral Video at the Halal Cart, Stuart Seldowitz Is Accused of Making Comments About the Koran & Prophet Mohammed
In the video, the man now identified as Seldowitz stands at the food cart holding a cell phone. He tells the vendor, “The Mukhabarat wants your picture. You know the Mukhabarat?” He is referring to the Egyptian intelligence service.
“No, I don’t know. I don’t speak English,” the vendor replies.
The man identified as Seldowitz says, “The Mukhabarat in Egypt will get your parents. Does his father like his fingernails? They will take them out one-by-one.”
He then says, “Why should I go? Why should I go? Tell me why I should go? I am standing here. I am an American. It’s a free country. It’s not like Egypt.”
He then tells the vendor to smile and says, “Smile for me,” taking a photo with his cell phone before laughing.
“Did you rape your daughter like Mohammed did? Did you rape your daughter like Mohammed?” the man named as Seldowitz says.
“I don’t speak English,” the unidentified vendor responds.
“You don’t speak English? All right. That just shows how ignorant you are because your Mohammed was a rapist… it says in your holy book. Your prophet? You know who he was? He was a rapist,” the man named as Seldowitz says.
“I don’t speak English. No English,” says the vendor.
“You don’t speak English? What do you speak? What do you speak? Do you speak Arabic, the language of the Koran? The Holy Koran, that some people use as a toilet. What do you think of that, people who use the Koran as a toilet? Does it bother you? Does it bother you? Tell me the truth.”
“I don’t speak English.”
He continues: “You don’t speak English? That’s too bad. That’s why you’re selling food in a food cart, because you’re ignorant but you should learn English. It will help you when they deport you back to Egypt and the Mukhabarat wants to interview you.”
The Gotham Company Bio Page Says That Stuart Seldowitz Worked With New York State to Help Attract Foreign Investment & National Security Issues in Afghanistan & the Middle East
There is a video of Seldowitz on C-Span. It reads, “Stuart Seldowitz is a Senior Adviser for the Dayton Peace Accords Project with one video in the C-SPAN Video Library; the first appearance was a 1997 Forum.”
A bio page that is still up on Gotham company’s Washington D.C. website says:
Stuart Seldowitz brings a distinguished career in federal and state government with interests in governmental, political, and business fields. Mr. Seldowitz comes to his work at Gotham Government Relations after nearly a thirty-year career with the United States Department of State and New York State. In the early 2000s, he worked as Acting Director for the National Security Council South Asia Directorate under the order of the Executive Office of the President. His expert-level knowledge and analysis of India and South Asia were critical to the success of the National Security Council and to senior management, including the President of the United States.
The page continues:
Mr. Seldowitz has worked on some of the most difficult political, trade, and national security issues facing the United States throughout his career, including relations with Afghanistan, the Middle East, Mexico, and South Africa. He has also worked extensively on issues concerning European security and nuclear arms control.
While working for the New York State government, Mr. Seldowitz designed state-level programs to help New York companies identify market opportunities, attract foreign investment to New York, and compete successfully overseas.
Mr. Seldowitz is a three-time winner of the State Department’s Superior Honor Award. He speaks fluent Spanish and is a graduate of George Washington University.
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