A former member of the Obama administration’s National Security Council was caught on camera harassing a food truck vendor in New York City, saying that killing 4,000 Palestinian children “wasn’t enough.”
Stuart Seldowitz was identified online after videos of him harassing the vendor about Islam were posted to X. He later admitted to The Daily Beast that it was him in the videos. “The bottom line is, yes it’s me,” he said.
Seldowitz served as the acting director for the National Security Council South Asia Directorate under Obama and was the deputy director of the State Department’s Office of Israel and Palestinian Affairs from 1999 to 2003.
In recent years, Seldowitz has been listed as working for Gotham Government Relations, a lobbying firm. After the videos surfaced, the firm said it cut all relations with Seldowitz.
Seldowitz berated the vendor about Islam, repeatedly calling the prophet Muhhamed a “rapist.” He threatened to report the vendor to the authorities if he was in the United States illegally.
When the vendor said he does not speak English, Seldowitz replied, “That’s why you’re selling food in a food cart, because you’re ignorant. But you should learn English, it’ll help you when they deport you back to Egypt, and then Mukhabarat (secret police) wants to interview you.”
Seldowitz said the video did not show the whole altercation and claimed the vendor expressed support for Hamas. At one point, Seldowitz accused the vendor of supporting the killing of “little children.” The vendor replied, “You kill children not me.”
Then Seldowitz said, “If we killed 4,000 Palestinian kids, you know what, it wasn’t enough. It wasn’t enough.”
Tragic that this man cannot see his own ignorance…
He may think his ignorance is a virtue.
Tragic that he was in a position of power, and as a lobbyist — manipulates daily our lawmakers and countless members of Federal bureaucracy.
He is not ignorant at all — he is intligent human being without a trace of conscience, dedicated only and exclusively to his tribe. I am afaid we are ignorant. He is evil.
… and don’t forget, he’s the victim.
God willing.
The real tragedy is a dead child (times thousands) and the utter silence from the UN regarding possible prosecution of war criminals.
UN is hostage to NATO veto in Security Council. US, UK and France yield veto power. Block acts as a pack of wolves, and UN is paralized.
Forget UN. Our government is supposed to look after OUR interests, and it is demonstrably not, We still do not get it. We are not safe from world’s troubles. The juvenile leadership will have us all killed.
As for this dude, depott him to his real homeland, where this kind of behaviour is acceptsble.
He broke a dozen of US laws, and that is it. Let us assume places are reversed to see what will happen.
The UN has always been lack of performance, I remember 50 years ago when they were going to end world hunger.
Another false claim and bone idleness.
Today a child dies of hunger something like every 12 seconds.
The UN has always been crap.
Sorry but ignorance implies that he just does not know.
He knows and embraces the evil.
As far as I’m concerned, every one of our political elite are trash.
So it would seem.
It is real.
elite?!
Psychopaths.
Is it just me or does it seem the entire US govt complex is on some serious drugs.
Maybe, but they come across like trash. Most Western democracies have trash, inmates from the asylums, in charge of governments, see USA, Germany, UK, France and others with some exceptions. In the US there is Genocide Biden, Trump and some woman named Haley, 3 possible presidential candidates.
And, the want to be savior of the world, RFK, Jr. staunchly backing Israel, while saying he can end the proxy war in Ukraine.
He dumped Kucinich for a CIA manager.
And he is a former member of the Obama administration’s National Security Council??????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Breathtaking. The evil that vomited out of his mouth.
Stuart Seldowitz was the deputy director of the US State Department’s Office of Israel and Palestinian Affairs from 1999 to 2003.
Which explains a lot.
His gov‘t pension should be canceled
No, his government pension shouldn’t be canceled and it would be unconstitutional to do so on the basis of his having exercised his First Amendment right to free speech.
As I told prokyssencho: “I really worry about an America where people don’t understand that.”
This is not free speech.
Yes it fucking is free speech. You’re a dangerous person.
Its not free speech. Get that in your tiny head .
Which part of it wasn’t free speech?
Its not a slam dunk case at all in this situation.That speech is free is defined by the court . Even when it is free at a first blush ( not in this case ) ,it stil could be litigated . Defamation and slanders have pretty clear definition in terms of hurting persons reputation or harming social standing . In addition in this case , fiancial and psychological sufferings obtaining in the wake of this tirade ,could be made . What this guy has said is pretty insulting and demeaning .In addition it was lie on many levels . The sum was more than the parts in conveying a horrible unwanted endeserving unprovoked tirade reeking of racial hatred .
This block quote is from a law farm’s website ”
. First, the plaintiff must prove that the defendant communicated a defamatory statement. Any message that results in an unwarranted loss of respect or confidence in the plaintiff is considered defamatory, as is any statement that causes derogatory, hostile or unfavorable opinions of the plaintiff. Based on these definitions, even a comment made in jest can be considered defamation if at least one person perceived “.
Now I have posted two links from 2 different univeristies already here .You can check that and can correct me if you feel you can argue after reading the excerpts from the Daily Mail.
From what i see, there was a sign saying he supported Hamas outside his establishment that started thè conversation, also it was the vendor that put the altercation online. Shaky at best.
Supporting Hamas isnt free speech ,because it has been declared by state a terror organization. So I doubt he was hanging a sign . He might have expressed support for Gazan or Palestinian .
Second expression of speech that is a crime does not allow this person to engage into this kind of behaviors and hope ‘free speech’ would cover him. No it wont .
“Supporting Hamas isnt free speech, because it has been declared by state a terror organization.”
Another swing, another miss.
holding these truths to be self evident doesnt mean we dont have them unless the state oks it first through newly described laws.
Basically the state doesnt delegate free speach, Its our birthright as a human being. Its a right that is simply self evident
I asked a pretty narrow and specific question, to which your answer isn’t responsive.
The guy seems to have been charged with stalking and harassment, not defamation/slander.
How a sample of speech is viewed varies. You may call it free speech. I may call it that its not becuase there are elements of x, y,z and so on. In this case i saw expression of hatred, insults, prejudices, and racism directed specifically at a target and forcing the target ask the vilifier leave the place and let the target work. There was also assumption and , threat based on assumption,i.e ,citizenship/ residency and permit to conduct business.
These are the grounds for legal cases .
Justice dept cant ignore and not address when one can prove ( in this case video does) these elements exist prima facie.
The problem with “these elements” is that they’re not “elements” of anything that makes the speech not free speech.
It seems that is what has happened to this guy . They did not buy the possibility of free sepech .Now a litigator will try to convince the jury .We will see.
“It seems that is what has happened to this guy.”
Yes, in much the same way that a guy gets charged with robbing a bank, not with playing a Don Henley CD on the stereo in the getaway car.
Slander is not free speech, but that has to be proven in court before you can make that claim. If he goes to court amd is let off innocent, then it is free speech.
Whether or not it is free speech has yet to be seen, innocent untill proven guilty.
As far as slander. Wasnt there a sign outside the man was refering too saying the vendor supported Hamas?? Who put that there? It started the conversation.
famation occurs if you make a false statement of fact about someone else that harms that person’s reputation. Such speech is not protected by the First Amendment and could result in criminal and civil liability. Defamation is limited in multiple respects though.” https://uwm.edu/free-speech-rights-responsibilities/faqs/what-is-defamation/#:~:text=Defamation%20occurs%20if%20you%20make,limited%20in%20multiple%20respects%20though.
0
https://uwm.edu/free-speech-rights-responsibilities/faqs/what-is-defamation/#:~:text=Defamation%20occurs%20if%20you%20make,limited%20in%20multiple%20respects%20though.
“Defamation is a tort that encompasses false statements of fact that harm another’s reputation.
There are two basic categories of defamation: (1) libel and (2) slander. Libel generally refers to written defamation, while slander refers to oral defamation, though much spoken speech that has a written transcript also falls under the rubric of libel.
The First Amendment rights of free speech and free press often clash with the interests served by defamation law. The press exists in large part to report on issues of public concern. However, individuals possess a right not to be subjected to falsehoods that impugn their character.”https://firstamendment.mtsu.edu/article/libel-and-slander/
Isn’t that a civil case? Perhaps he should go fund me and get a lawyer.
It wasnt my downvote but I disagree,
It is free speech, As far as I know he did not do anything illegal such as threatening bodily harm, This is free speech!
That said, I disagree with what this political prat said. But in allowing free speech, we now know what horrible learning and atributes he and his supporters have.
This is a prime example of free speech,
“This is not free speech.”
No, those acts are not protected on ‘free speech’ grounds. NYT:
“Former State Dept. Official Arrested in Harassing of Halal Food Vendor
Stuart Seldowitz was charged with harassment after videos showed him berating the vendor with Islamophobic comments.
“The former State Department employee and national security official who was filmed harassing a halal food vendor in Manhattan and calling him a “terrorist” was arrested and charged with a hate crime on Wednesday.
“The former official, Stuart Seldowitz, 64, faces charges that include aggravated harassment and several counts of stalking, according to the police.”
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/22/nyregion/stuart-seldowitz-harassment-charges.html
All for show, When they go to these forms of repair, I usually just turn off the TV.
Funny how there had to be a video published before police did anything.
Thanks .
Perhaps someone needs to define tteason. I believe endangering the US citizens is in there somewhere
Perhaps someone needs to define treason. I believe endangering the US citizens is in there somewhere
The Constitution has defined treason. And it’s not what you believe.
Should we blame your teachers or were you just not paying attention?
It seems to me the constitution has been modified , just as in Orwells animal farm.
In the US you have,
The freedom of religion, as long as as it is a religion that has existed before a certain date, early 1900s if my memory serves me right. Also if your religious beliefs prohibit funding war and killing, they have deemed you still must pay taxes.
The freedom to be able to come to arms to defend the people against an oppressive government takeover of your self evident rights, As long as your weapons are within their description and your name is on file
The freedom of press, as long as its accepted by the major corporations like google, FB, YT, etc. Which we are to believe are not a part of the govt.
The freedom of personal privacy in that they can not search your homes without a cause or court ordered warrent, see also homeland security and terrorism, add to that a speedy trial if you wish.
Etc, etc, etc.
Need i go on, . . You mean that constitution and definition?
In this world you can bllame whoever you would like I suppose, just dont look in the mirror .
“Need i go on . . .”
Nah, don’t bother.
Yeah dont bother, after all its only the constitution. .
You don’t have the slightest fucking idea what the Constitution says or how it works, I tell you not to bother because nothing you could say, in your deplorable ignorance, would be worth reading.
Do yourself and your fellow Americans a favor: Learn something.
Why isnt he yet in jail?
On what charge? Being a jerk?
prokyssencho
Warren Paine
He should be in jail for the same reason you would be if you walked up to a place , call the owner a terrorists , an illegal, and asks if he had the permit to run business , then add in his face that Hamas did not kill enough of his people and then keep on doing same despite few times being told to leave.
He should be in jail for the same reason you would be if you walked up to a Jewish place and call the guy a terrorists , an illegal, and asks if he had the permit to run business , then add in his face that Hamas did not kill enough and then keep on doing same despite few times being told to leave.
He’s not in jail because stupid and offensive speech is protected speech. And it should be.
I really worry about an America where people don’t understand that.
This is not protected speech .This is plain harrassment and threat targeted at a specific person who isnt even a public figure.
You need a remedial class in the US Constitution. You are dangerously ignorant.
Yeah! Thats why a lawyer has offered pro bono fight inthe court !!!
He has a chance of getting his job back if Trump got reelected.
Trump the Nazi?
Imagine if this were a Trump supporter. This video would be playing on a loop on CNN.
Something very strange happened before the alleged ‘surprise’ attacts of October 7th. Why did the Netanyahu government dismiss so many warnings, coming from so many sources, that something big military was in preparation in the Gaza Strip, even warnings coming from Israeli women soldiers stationed close to Gaza!
Netanyahu and the Mossad knew.
When all the pieces of the puzzle are assembled, the Hamas-Israeli war seems to have been a “coup“ planned long before by the Netanyahu government, probably as soon as the new Netanyahu government, with religious fanatics in it, was formed in early 2023.
The plan was to take over the Gaza Strip, do an ethnic cleansing and kill as many Palestinians as possible, while confiscating Gaza’s natural gas reserves off the Gaza coast. In short, nothing less than engaging into a genocide and committing war crimes.
Indeed, this would be the crime and the heist of the century.
If that sounds fishy, that is because it is very fishy. You cannot expect less of Benyamin Netanyahu.
Same thing as before 911. Bushie ignored both FBI and CIA analysts’ warnings.
how stupid do you have to be to mess with the guy who is making your food
Who said he bought anything?
How is this news on antiwar.com?
Well, if it’s “news” at all — I agree that “someone said something somewhere” doesn’t always necessarily qualify as such — it’s news about a member of the US political class opining on war, so it would seem to be in our lane.
I would agree if he was still in a position that mattered. But why not quote Obama? He said this:
“Nobody’s hands are clean,” the 44th president said during an interview with “Pod Save America,” a podcast hosted by former White House aides from his presidency, in an excerpt released Saturday.
“What Hamas did was horrific, and there’s no justification for it. And what is also true is that the occupation, and what’s happening to Palestinians, is unbearable”
That would probably be construed as antisemitic by the US political class.
75 years of occupation, land theft , oppression, killing thousands with impunity, house demolitions and expulsion, restrictions on movement and freedom, total siege , and confining people to open air prison denying them basic rights and starving them little by little, preventing medical supplies and basic necessities is beyond horrific.
You’re preaching to the choir, and you have read something into my comment that just isn’t there.
He is (or I should say “was;” never say the quiet part out loud) a DC lobbyist, i.e. one of the people who actually controls federal policy, so I think it’s relevant on those grounds alone.
“Why not quote Obama” really isn’t meaningfully related to the question of the appropriateness of reporting this behavior by one of his former advisers, at least not unless Antiwar.com editors knowingly chose to report on this rather than a quote by Obama. I doubt that they did that.
Also, I think Mr. Knapp is correct in assessing that this is exactly the sort of news that belongs here.
I disagree. Obama’s name is in the headline. It’s misleading in my opinion.
Obama is the gifted one on talking out of both sides of his mouth, so I’d take it with a grain of salt. But he did use tax funds to campaign against Netanyahu, so there is no love lost.
I think as much about Obama as I do of Biden, Trump , Bush or the rest of them. And he did abstain from a UN vote, instead of the normal auto-veto, condemning Israel as one of his last acts. I just don’t see the importance of telling people about what someone in his administration has to say about anything.
Because the guy held several important positions in government, the last being under Obama. These are the psychopaths employed by both “teams”.
I’m not defending the piece of shit. Obama was president 8 years ago. Isn’t there more current scum bags to quote?
Yeah, but most of them, at least in the last few years, were hired because of their skin color or sexual orientation, not because of their supposed smarts.
I think as much about Obama as I do of Biden, Trump , Bush or the rest of them.
The Hague isn’t good enough for them…
Nuremberg!
“Seldowitz … was the deputy director of the State Department’s Office of Israel and Palestinian Affairs from 1999 to 2003.”
On its own, not a full indictment, but published & archived on this site it builds a body of evidence to demonstrate a wide bias within the US gov’t in favor of Israel & against Palestinians.
‘Cause you know we’ll find some pinecone Commenter on here who’ll claim “Nu-uh, Washington & its people have ALWAYS been fair & balanced in their approach to the Middle East.”
I just don’t see how this guy’s opinion means a pinch of shit today. Now, if Obama had said as much, it would be something worth writing about.
… In 2008, many of Barack Obama’s supporters hoped he would bring the global war on terror to a close. Instead, he expanded it – and his successors have done nothing to change course
Right. Obama was as bad as those he followed and those that followed him. But Obama isn’t saying the same thing as this guy on the issue of this war. The headline, to me, is misleading.
No, it’s not. He was, in fact, an ex-Obama advisor. So a racist a-hole helped advise at least two administrations while being so goddam petty he had to harass a guy working on the street. Obama picked this guy, ok?
And I’m only going by his comment about the 4,000 dead children that he made to that food service guy. I don’t know what he did as part of Obama’s NSC but if he had said anything so vile, he probably would have been fired. So, I’m sure he kept his mouth shut or did his politically correct act like most government officials do while they are employed. And I would imagine this guy didn’t say anything so disgusting about dead children when seeking employment under the Obama administration. But by know means does that mean I don’t want people like him outed, I just think the connection to Obama being in the headline implied something. Obviously, people disagree with me.
The US has always treated the zionist government with favoritism above and beyond Palestinians living under apartheid. Is it really that much of a stretch of imagination that high level officials harbor disgusting opinions like this? FFS, Hillary Clinton cackled after “we came, we saw, he died. Another Obama appointee.
Bloody well said, ED. ;-}
Yes, Obama appointed shitty people. I don’t deny that. Obama also said “Nobodies hands are clean” regarding the current situation. That’s as close as we are going to get to an admittance that our involvement is part of the blame. And him saying, “the occupation, and what’s happening to Palestinians, is unbearable”is something that should be lauded. And then I heard Bill Maher rip Obama a new asshole for suggesting there is moral equivalency between “terrorism” and “collateral damage. I’m not trying to whitewash what Obama was or is, but I really liked what he said just because he pissed off all the right people.
Obama was always good with words. His deeds were often the polar opposite. I think the oligarchs of the Dem party can see the fuck up that Biden is. Look what Axelrod said. They’d like it if he stepped aside.
A couple of articles, one recent, one old, I’d appreciate you reading:
Why Barack Obama is the More Effective Evil
https://www.blackagendareport.com/content/why-barack-obama-more-effective-evil
Biden is the Greater and Less Effective Evil
https://blackagendareport.org/news/874/33/Biden-is-the-Greater-and-Less-Effective-Evil
My opinion on Obama hasn’t changed. I turned on him within 3 months of his first term. It didn’t take me long to figure out he was full of shit, just like those he followed. He was even worse since he was such a huge disappointment. But I liked what he said about the situation in Gaza. That doesn’t mean I think it exonerates him from all the evil he did as president but it’s a far cry from what others are saying. And given the fact that he bucked the trend of blindly coming to Israel’s defense, I found it refreshing. Now, whether he was sincere or not is another question but him saying what he did certainly wasn’t something that was going to endear him with the masses which was usually his motive.
You are entitled to your feelings. I have grown very cynically hard over these past several years and I always question motivation.
Same here, I’m as cynical as they come. I just don’t see what motivation Obama would have had for speaking the truth. Especially when it comes to anything that resembles something other than unequivocal loyalty to Israel. And again, this doesn’t change my overall opinion of him. I’d say the same if Trump had said it.
Maybe he is sincere. But the boy who cried wolf theory is in effect for me here.
1. He hates Netanyahu
2. He pretends he is a great humanitarian in spite of destroying lives and killing people in Libya. They actually had it pretty good before Obama’s attack. Gaddafi believed that all people deserved homes.
3. The writing is on the wall that Biden is a problem. People hate him for being supportive of genocide. He’s not a smooth operator like Obama who can get away with saying one thing while doing the opposite. The behind the scenes Democratic operators want him out of the race because they think he will lose.
These are my feelings about motive.
You keep bringing up things he did while president. The motivation for what he said now isn’t the same as when he was in office. In fact, I would think his remarks would be something that would work against him. Saying anything that doesn’t toe the pro-Israel line doesn’t get you anywhere in Obama’s world. If he still were president, he wouldn’t have made that comment in my opinion. But please don’t take what I’m saying about him now as an exoneration for anything he did while president. But his remarks on this issue should be applauded even if his motives were for personal gain which just doesn’t make any sense in this case.
Did you read any of the links I posted? He is narcissistically trying to save a legacy.
I don’t see how he would think saying what he did would save his legacy. I would think it would have the opposite effect. And I really don’t believe he thinks his legacy needs saving. So, whatever his motivation was, I just can’t see it as him being concerned about his legacy. Those fools that thought he was a good president wouldn’t take what he said as something that adds to his legacy in their eyes. Just the opposite.
Because he does this shit all of the time. He pretends he wasn’t involved in the things he was involved in to play humanitarian. 70% of the US wants a cease fire.
But if you would ask those 70% if they thought the US was culpable in the war, I would guess that number would dwindle. We can go back and forth about his motive, and I don’t dismiss what you say, but I would still say his comment should be applauded.
He foisted Biden on us and told Sanders to leave the race, so phuck em
BTW, I’m getting a blank page on antiwar. I can read disqus comments though.
Hmm … loading fine for me, and seeing any problems via “down for everyone or just me?”
I didn’t check to see if it was down. I can navigate to the site but it loads with essentially a blank page. I will try another browser.
It loads on firefox not duckduckgo.
Interesting. I don’t use their desktop browser (there doesn’t seem to be a Linux version), but I just downloaded and installed the Android version. On it, some pages at Antiwar.com seem to load, and some don’t. I’ll pass the problem report along, but I do expect that it won’t get a “call someone in on a holiday weekend to fix” level response.
Do not worry. I just thought I’d let you know. Happy after overeating holiday and day of consumer insanity!
Thanks for the tip-off. Surprisingly, I got an immediate email reply from Eric saying that he’d have it looked into ASAP. I guess I’m not the only one who works on Thanksgiving Friday here!
Why do they hate us? “Our freedom” no doubt.
Huh????
Probably the first person to get fired for supporting mass murder of Palestinians. Of course his real crime was saying the quiet part out loud. . .
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=KgTuKpkHcMo&pp=ygUWcHN5Y2hraWxsZXIgbGl2ZSBhbGJ1bQ==
To Folks that vote down a post, let us know the reason. Basic common curtesy.
Clearly the Biden administration agrees with this guy because they refuse to demand a ceasefire or serious negotiations for a Palestinian state. As the children’s bodies mount up, Biden continues to eat ice cream. As for Obama — he was always a fake and a degenerate. This is no surprise.
Will he’s jobless now. Maybe he can get a free hotdog from the vendor when he gets hungry.
Israel is so nice. It never kills enough Palestinian kids. …Okay, okay… I will add (Sarcasm) on this one just in case somebody thinks I’m being serious.
GRR what
This is the scum that run the US. The scum all of you non-anarchists elected.
hate speech at Halal vendors while buying their food?
needed – restraining order and the guy’s police mug shots hung from every Halal food cart in the city – ‘seen this convicted ex-US-state-department hate speech offender? take his pic and call 911 now’
plus dox the mother f’er so his neighborhood can be papered over w/the pics
I’d rather know the beliefs of this creature than not know. He can expose himself as the cretin he is all he wants. Knowledge is a powerful antidote to this kind of poison.
shrug – so circulate the vids – can’t have people exploiting their power and privilege to target, abuse and frighten those w/very little power
I voted 4 & raised money for Obama with enthusiasm in his first term, but by his second run I referred to him as the Trojan Whorse President and voted for Jill Stein!!! It was his appointment of Ram Emanuel for his first pick as his chief of staff that gave the game away for me. Rahm had been very busy in the run-up period making sure that no peace candidates would be elected to our Congress.
When I was asked why I ditched Obama, I would say he killed to many kids. Are any of ouy candidates free of this awful Zionist taint that infected Madelaine Albright ????500,000 dead Iraqi kids dead, “We think it was worth it”. And now this 5000 dead KIDS in Gaza isn’t ENOUGH??? How did “Good ole Boy Bill happen t’choose that genocide witch for State….??? OOOOO and remember how she just “happened to discover “she was Jewish post appointment?
Did anyone ever ask him “mike on how he happened to chose HER???? Watching this GENOCIDE in Gaza as our dementia-ed President shuffles around providing diplomatic cover and military aid to the ZIONIST snuff of life in Gaza I wonder how America could get so involved SUPPORTING this CHILDREN KILLING GENOCIDE???
Gross
“Ex-Obama Adviser”. He was also a “Ex-Bush Adviser”.
Why is this missing from the story?
The feeling appears to be mutual, as David Schwartz, the founder and president of Gotham Government Relations, said that Seldowitz was never an employee and he’ll help the vendors should they take him to court.
‘By the way, I’ll represent the food vendor pro bono if he wants to bring a lawsuit against Stuart Seldowitz,’ he said. ‘I’m absolutely outraged by this video.’
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12778229/Obama-official-apology-Islamaphobic-rant-halal-cart.html