City & State: Gotham Government Relations cuts ties with former Obama administration official caught harassing halal cart vendor

“By the way, I’ll represent the food vendor pro bono if he wants to bring a lawsuit,” Gotham Government Relations president David Schwartz said.

Manhattan-based lobbying firm Gotham Government Relations cut all ties with Stuart Seldowitz on Tuesday after a viral video emerged showing him harassing a halal cart vendor in the Upper East Side. “I did have an argument with a food vendor,” Seldowitz told City & State. “It is quite possible that it's me. I mean, I've not seen the video, but I believe it's probably me.”

Seldowitz, who worked in the U.S. State Department’s Office of Israel and Palestinian Affairs and then served as Acting Director of the National Security Council South Asia Directorate in the Obama administration, was named Foreign Affairs Chair at Gotham Government Relations last year.

“Gotham Government Relations has ended all affiliation with Stuart Seldowitz,” the lobbying firm announced in a statement. “The video of his actions is vile, racist and beneath the dignity of the standards we practice at our firm.”

Full Article: https://www.cityandstateny.com/politics/2023/11/gotham-government-relations-cuts-ties-former-obama-administration-official-caught-harassing-halal-cart-vendor/392235/