Kaif Gilani gained notice last year as one of the organizers behind Hot Girls for Zohran, a volunteer group whose events and swag promoting Zohran Mamdani’s mayoral campaign became magnets for young New Yorkers.
He parlayed that success into a lucrative consulting gig building a congressional campaign website for Brad Lander, an ally of Mr. Mamdani’s and a former city comptroller.
But as he worked on public campaigns, Mr. Gilani evidently also maintained private social media accounts under pseudonyms that reposted conspiracy theories about Israel, amplified posts sympathizing with Hamas and used misogynistic language.
The posts spilled into the open on Wednesday when Jewish Insider published a story connecting Mr. Gilani to dozens of posts, pouring fresh fuel on an ongoing confrontation that has splintered the left over Israel and the war in Gaza.
Mr. Lander quickly cut ties with Mr. Gilani after the article ran, saying he had not been aware of the posts and was “deeply disturbed by them.” Mr. Gilani’s employer, Citi, a global bank, said it would open an investigation, adding that it had “no tolerance for antisemitism and acts of hatred in any form.”
Dora Pekec, a spokeswoman for Mr. Mamdani, declined to comment. Mr. Gilani and his group were independent and received no money from the Mamdani campaign.
Posting under the name “chunky fila” on X, Mr. Gilani has regularly shared thoughts on American politics, news of the day and the war in Gaza with his almost 60,000 followers. Many of the posts reflect pro-Palestinian viewpoints that have become common among young Americans amid Israel’s military campaign in Gaza.
But Mr. Gilani also promoted posts that pushed outside the mainstream, in at least one case amplifying comments about Israel that repeated debunked conspiracies widely viewed as antisemitic.
“AIPAC purchased the seats of about 90% or more of our current congress,” read one post that Mr. Gilani reposted. “JFK famously wanted them registered as a foreign agent right before he was shot.”
The post continued: “Israel was obviously the state sponsor of Jefrey Epstein,” and that its intelligence agents “knew the attacks were coming at least a day before they did” on Sept. 11.
Mr. Gilani amplified other posts that called Israel “a racist supremacist state” and quoted Yahya Sinwar, a leader of Hamas who helped orchestrate its deadly Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel, defending the group’s actions.
“Does the world expect us to be well-behaved victims while we are getting killed?” Mr. Sinwar is quoted as saying.
Mr. Gilani frequently took aim at police officers, writing that “all cops are going to hell,” and “there’s no such thing as a good cop.” He called former President Joseph R. Biden Jr. “a pedophile with dementia” and later wrote that he hoped his “heart stops beating.”
Mr. Gilani, who has also used the name Kaif Kabir, did not immediately respond to requests for comment. In a statement posted on social media, he did not directly address those specific posts. But he said he was being singled out for his pro-Palestinian views and statements accusing Israel of genocide.
“Targeting and attempting to dox me is rooted in Islamophobia; non-Muslim friends and collaborators critical of the genocide have not been threatened with hit pieces for the same sentiments,” he wrote.
Other leftists and pro-Palestinian figures rushed to his defense, attacking Jewish Insider. The piece’s author, Will Bredderman, later posted that he had received death threats after the article’s publication.
Cait Camelia, who co-founded Hot Girls for Zohran with Mr. Gilani, defended him. She said the group, which recently rebranded as Hot Girls Organize, would continue to promote political activism, including against the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, a pro-Israel lobby.
“Kaif will not be stepping back,” she wrote in an email. “He will be stepping up and organizing, as we prepare to primary every AIPAC-backed candidate in New York City in June.”
Although Mr. Gilani is not especially well known in New York politics, Hot Girls for Zohran earned national media attention for its creative branding and energetic grass-roots volunteers. Celebrities including Emily Ratajkowski were photographed wearing the group’s merch, and the founders posed for a picture with Mr. Mamdani.
Mr. Mamdani’s own sharp criticism of Israel has been a recurring point of conflict among Democrats, but he has repeatedly denounced Hamas and has not been known to amplify conspiracy theories like the ones in Mr. Gilani’s feed.
Mr. Lander paid $15,000 to a company Mr. Gilani controls for “website and social media” assistance for his congressional campaign in Manhattan and Brooklyn against Representative Daniel Goldman.
Both Mr. Lander and Mr. Goldman are Jewish and consider themselves Zionists, but Mr. Lander has been far more critical of Israel’s actions in Gaza. Just this week, he announced support for legislation that would bar the sale to Israel of “catastrophic weaponry” that had been used in Gaza.
Lauren Hitt, a spokeswoman for Mr. Lander, said on Wednesday that the campaign had not been aware of Mr. Gilani’s posts.
“These statements do not in any way reflect Brad’s views,” she said. “Brad has repeatedly condemned Hamas and the violence and sexual assault committed on and after October 7.”
An adviser to Mr. Goldman declined to comment.
Nicholas Fandos is a Times reporter covering New York politics and government.
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