Michael Ragusa
Role at the time: Former head of security for Rudy Giuliani
Challenged the characterization
Response to this claim
A four-second video clip shows Mamdani and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez laughing inappropriately while the names of September 11 victims were being read.
“The videos of @NYCMayor and @AOC laughing are not true. I was standing next to them the whole time. The camera just caught her greeting him hello. Multiple other politicians were laughing and joking behind me. Republicans and Democrats.”
Open source (opens in a new tab)New video shows interaction between NYC Mayor Mamdani and AOC at 9/11 ceremony after the moment sparked debate
CNN's detailed account of the Mamdani-Giuliani handshake and the disputed Mamdani-AOC clip, including direct quotes from Mamdani, Ragusa, Cruz, and Niou.
Why we used this label
Ragusa, who says he stood next to Mamdani and Ocasio-Cortez throughout, directly disputes the characterization of the clip as showing laughter during the name-reading, without addressing the broader dispute over Mamdani's attendance itself.