Mayor Adams claims he doesn't know antisemitic influencer Sneako after baffling Gracie Mansion cigar smoking hangout

New York Post

7 hours ago

He must have snuck in?
Mayor Eric Adams admitted Monday that the hateful influencer Sneako wasn't vetted before the antisemite visited Gracie Mansion for a chummy late-night interview that drew outrage from critics.
Adams said he didn't know Sneako's bigoted views and cast the friendly Saturday night sitdown over cigars as an unfortunate byproduct of his willingness to chat with 'anyone and everyone.'
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'I don't know the young man,' Adams told reporters. 'I'm not familiar with his streaming at all.'
He said he was smoking a cigar with his rapper and podcaster son Jordan Coleman on the back porch of Gracie Mansion when unspecified 'other people' joined him, who 'brought people with them.'
4 Mayor Eric Adams distanced himself Monday from antisemitic influencer Sneako.
Gregory P. Mango
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4 Adams and Sneako smoked cigars and chatted Saturday at Gracie Mansion.
X/@sneako
Sneako — whose real name is Nicolas 'Nico' Kenn De Balinthazy, 26 — was apparently among the group of strangers, leading to the bizarre spectacle Saturday of New York City's mayor sitting down with a streamer who has declared 'Down with the Jews!'
The interview prompted a torrent of criticism for Adams, including from prominent Israel ally Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-Bronx), who posted on social media with disgust: 'Who's next on the guest list — David Duke?'
Adams, while speaking to reporters at unrelated event with NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch about the department's new quality of life initiative, contended the interview was unplanned.
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'(Sneako) was one of the people that engaged in that conversation,' Adams said. 'I didn't know his history.'
Controversial influencer Amber Rose, who has become a vocal supporter of President Trump, was among the people present during the Gracie Mansion smoking session-turned-interview.
Coleman told The Post that his dad met Rose at a dinner earlier that week.
He said Adams was also excited to practice for a future podcast with him.
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'Not sure how Sneako got involved!' Coleman said.
Rose, in a tweet featuring The Post's coverage of the cigar summit, defended Sneako and ripped the affair as 'FAKE NEWS!!!'
'I was there and know @sneako!!' she posted on X. 'He's a Jew! Liarrrrrsss why are you trying to sabotage @NYCMayor???'
4 Influencer Amber Rose also attended the Gracie Mansion smoking session.
X/@sneako
4 Sneako has been banned from Twitch for 'extreme hateful content.'
James Keivom
Sneako's bigoted history includes being banned from Twitch for 'extreme hateful conduct,' praising accused rapist misogynist Andrew Tate and cultivating ties with white nationalist Holocaust denier Nick Fuentes, as well as the Hitler-loving rapper formerly known as Kanye West.
The interview was all the more baffling given Adams' plan to run for re-election on an 'EndAntiSemitism' party line and action highlighting his stance against hatred of Jewish people.
When asked about whether Sneako should have been vetted more, Adams said 'yes' and embarked on a long tangent about his openness to engage with all New Yorkers, including high schoolers.
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'Hindsight is 20-20,' he said.
'One of the downsides of my style of mayoralty, I engage with everyone,' Adams said. 'My team criticizes me all the time. They criticize me when I give my phone number to high school students to text me when there's a problem. They criticize that I'm willing to sit in the room with anyone and everyone.'
Adams hinted if he had known Sneako's hateful stances, he still would have conducted the interview to push back against them.
'I've been extremely strong on hate in this city of any kind, not only for Jewish residents. I fought against Islamaphobia, anti-Sikhism, anti-LGBTQ+ criticism,' he said.
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'And so I wish I would have known his stances, because I would've loved to have engaged in a conversation with him on that. But I'm open to sit down and be interviewed by anyone, because I'm clear on my message of fighting hate.'
Tisch, who is Jewish, gave an unsolicited endorsement of Adams' personal commitment to antisemitism.
'In a world where so many people who have public voices have abandoned the Jewish people, have allowed the rhetoric around Jews and the state of Israel to shift from outrage to incitement, in a world where we've seen hate crimes against Jews go up 80% in 20 months, Mayor Eric Adams has been unwavering and strong and true to his commitments from day one,' she said.
— Additional reporting by Nicole Rosenthal