Iran bombing becomes a major topic of discussion among NYC Democratic mayoral primary candidates

CBS News

3 hours ago

The New York City metropolitan area has the largest Jewish population outside Israel, so it is not surprising that the United States' bombing of Iran became topic number one Sunday for Mayor Eric Adams and the Democrats who want to replace him.
What was surprising was the warning from Adams and others that the decision to bomb Iran could have repercussions nearly 6,400 miles away here in the five boroughs.
Sleeper cells on the minds of the mayor and NYPD leaders
The mayor is taking seriously warnings from Washington that Iran could activate sleeper cells here to seek retribution for the bombings.
"You're always concerned about sleeper cells," Adams said. "We're going to ensure that we focus on sleeper cells."
Rebecca Weiner, the NYPD's commissioner of intelligence and counter terrorism, told CBS News New York's Marcia Kramer her agency has been on alert for days.
"We are doubling down on our efforts. We are doubling down, reaching out to partners internationally, federally, doubling down on all the monitoring that we are doing," Weiner said.
The mayor said there are currently no credible threats and he wants the deputy commissioner to be proactive -- not reactive.
Andrew Cuomo issues warning to New Yorkers
The bombing became the top topic of discussion on the Democratic mayoral primary trail on Sunday. Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo also warned of something happening here.
"As a New Yorker, my natural instinct, as a former governor, former HUD secretary, New York should get ready for possible reprisal from Iran," Cuomo said.
Like many of the other candidates, Cuomo took issue with President Trump ordering the attack on Iran without consulting Congress but supported the end result.
"I think the world is a safer place without Iran having nuclear weapons, yes," Cuomo said.
Other candidates take issue with Trump's decision making
Queens Assemblyman and mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani, who has faced charges he has insufficiently supported the Jewish state, said of Trump's actions, "Today's unconstitutional military action represents a new, dark chapter in his endless series of betrayals that now threaten to plunge the world deeper into chaos. In a city as global as ours, the impacts of war are felt deeply here."
"Deeply troubling. I mean, unconstitutional. It's going to escalate the risks of war and violence and death for Iranians, for Israelis and for Americans," City Comptroller Brad Lander said. "War Powers Act requires congressional approval, which he did not get."
"They're concerned that this president has undergone a military strike without authorization of Congress. We all know that this decision is typically made by Congress, so once again this president is overstepping his boundaries and totally disregarding the constitution," City Council President Adrienne Adams said.
With the primary just two days away, the candidates had full slates of appearances to get their voters to the polls. Early voting has been robust, but it will all come down to the turnout on Tuesday.