New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani apparently woke up one morning and decided he was going to arrest Benjamin Netanyahu when the Israeli Prime Minister visits for the UN General Assembly in September. He told the New York Times he was having "active conversations" with his legal department about it. He said Netanyahu "belongs in The Hague." He said it was an ICC matter. As USA Journal reported, CNN then proceeded to put this entire fantasy through a paper shredder on live television.
CNN anchor Brianna Keilar asked senior legal analyst Elie Honig to give Mamdani's big idea a reality check. Honig did not mince words: "Absolutely not. It is utterly ridiculous for the mayor of New York City to even suggest that he might have the authority to order the arrest of Benjamin Netanyahu, or any visiting foreign head of state."
You know your legal position is in trouble when CNN's own analyst is calling it ridiculous. That is like getting a speeding ticket from your getaway driver.
Honig then laid out four reasons this will never happen, and he did it with the calm energy of a math teacher correcting someone who insists two plus two equals fish. Point one: the mayor of New York City has zero law enforcement authority over who the NYPD arrests on federal or international matters. Point two: the ICC warrant has zero legal validity in the United States because America is not a signatory to the Rome Statute. Point three: foreign heads of state visiting for UN business enjoy diplomatic protections under the UN Headquarters Agreement. Point four: foreign policy is the federal government's job, not any city mayor's.
Honig wrapped it up with a generous offer to save the mayor's legal team some billable hours: "I know the mayor is having his best lawyers look at this. Let me save them some time: you do not have the authority to do this."
Mamdani was not exactly standing alone on a hill here. He was standing alone in a ditch. U.S. Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz had already made the same case on X. Trump had already said it was not happening in any "way, shape, or form." Senator John Fetterman had already called Mamdani a clown. So the mayor managed to unite CNN legal analysts, the Trump administration, and John Fetterman against him. That is a coalition that should not be possible.
The real question is at what point Mamdani acknowledges that those "active conversations" with his legal department have produced an answer, and the answer is a resounding no. The safe bet is never, because this was never really about arresting anyone. It was about performing for the activist base that put him in office. It is political theater, and the reviews are in. They are not good.
When CNN is the one handing you your legal education on live television, it might be time to quietly close the law books and move on to something within your actual job description. Like potholes.
Picture is a screenshot from this video.
Read more conservative news commentary at: USA Journal News
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