Mamdani says he 'obviously' disagrees with aide's old views linking homeownership to White supremacy

"She compared homeownership as a tool of White supremacy," Rosoff told Mamdani. "You said you would keep her on because of the good work that you feel that she is doing, but what do you think of the comment itself drawing a line between landlords and White supremacists?"

"Obviously, that's not an opinion that I share," Mamdani said. "And I made the decision to have her as our executive director of the mayor's office to protect tenants, not because of her comments, but because of her work."

He added, "She is someone who has won significant victories for tenants not just in New York City but across the entirety of the state, [a] formative part of what was an upstate-downstate coalition, and we've seen her already hard at work in this past week."

"I don't think I'm out of my mind," Weaver replied. "Some of those things are certainly not how I would say things today, and are regretful."

While she did not specify which statements she regrets, Weaver said she aims to tackle "racial inequalities" while serving New Yorkers.

"But, you know, I do think my decades of experience fighting for more affordable housing sort of stands on its own," she said. "I'm proud to be in this role fighting for stronger tenants' rights. And I think that for many years, people have been locked out of the property market, that has produced systemic and racial inequalities in our system."