Overview
- Duwaji, whose first interview since January ran Wednesday on Hyperallergic, said she feels a lot of shame over harmful language she used as a teenager and apologized without naming specific posts.
- A March investigation by the Washington Free Beacon linked dormant X and Tumblr accounts to her using facial‑recognition, and the accounts were later deleted as outlets noted they could not independently verify ownership.
- The resurfaced material included racial and anti‑gay slurs, praise for Palestinian militants tied to the U.S.-designated PFLP, and a 2015 repost saying Tel Aviv shouldn’t exist, with separate reports highlighting Instagram likes tied to Oct. 7.
- Mayor Zohran Mamdani called his wife a private person with no role at City Hall and declined to say which posts she regrets, though he has condemned an author’s pro‑Oct. 7 rhetoric linked to a freelance illustration she provided.
- The controversy now tests the administration’s ties with Jewish communities as coverage diverges, with right‑leaning outlets stressing unaddressed praise for militants and others underscoring verification limits.