- New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani released more than 170,000 pages of internal records Tuesday that show how city officials misled the public about air safety around Ground Zero after the September 11 attacks.
- Speaking at a City Hall news conference alongside activist and actor Jon Stewart, Mamdani condemned previous leaders for lying about toxic air safety, which resulted in numerous first responders and residents becoming ill. “People got sick because the leaders they trusted lied and told them they were safe to breathe in toxic air,” Mamdani said.
- The records were released days before the U.S. marks 25 years since the al Qaeda hijackings that killed nearly 3,000 people. The documents include the so-called Harding Memo which detailed strategies the city evaluated to limit its legal liability concerning toxic exposure and safety equipment.
- “There was poison in the air, and on the ground, and in the window sills, and in your air conditioners, and covering your pets and your clothes, and it stayed there for months,” Jon Stewart said. “Everyone knew. Now it’s very clear that the city knew as well.”
- The document disclosure resolved a lawsuit brought by the advocacy group 9/11 Health Watch, with additional municipal records expected to be uploaded on a rolling basis.
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