Nithya Raman has issued a word-salad denial on whether she will make controversial former District Attorney George Gascón head of the LAPD if she becomes mayor of Los Angeles.
The DSA-backed candidate appeared to panic during a TV appearance and said “I don’t know him personally” when grilled over bringing back the ultra-liberal former cop.
It comes just a day after she issued an outright denial to The California Post on appointing him, further muddying the water on what she plans if she gains office.
Raman sparked fury last week when The Post unearthed a since deleted “fascist liars” video featuring LAPD chief Jim McDonnell with a giant red X across his face.
During her NBC appearance Sunday, Raman was quizzed on the rumors she wants to bring back Gascón, who was dumped as LA County DA during a recall in 2024 over his progressive policies.
Raman said: “No, no. I don’t know where the rumors are coming from. I don’t know him personally.”
The rumors are the latest headache for Raman, who spent much of the past week explaining a since-deleted social media video featuring McDonnell’s face crossed out with a giant red X beneath the words “Only you can stop fascist liars.”
Her campaign insisted the message targeted ICE and the Trump administration, not McDonnell, and blamed the video’s editing on left-wing influencer Ed Choi.
The controversy has also exposed conflicting messages about when Raman would replace McDonnell if she defeats Mayor Karen Bass in the Nov. 3 election.
During an ABC7 interview Saturday Raman insisted replacing McDonnell was not among her immediate priorities.
“You know, replacing the chief of police is not on my 100-day agenda. Restoring trust with our law enforcement and the public is on my 100-day agenda,” Raman said.
Pressed about Bass’ warning that firing McDonnell ahead of the LA 2028 Olympics could be disastrous, Raman suggested waiting until 2030.
“I believe his term goes through 2030, if I’m not mistaken, and at that point I think I would be looking to appoint a new chief,” she said.
But when The California Post sought clarification Saturday, Raman offered a different timetable.
“Chief McDonnell’s term ends in 2030 and I would expect to replace him prior to that,” she told The Post, promising a “careful, orderly transition.”
Raman said she did not know where the Gascón rumors originated, but multiple law enforcement and political sources told The Post his name has been circulating inside City Hall and among rank-and-file cops as a possible replacement.
The prospect has alarmed law enforcement officials, who warn appointing him could trigger a mass exodus from the already understaffed LAPD.
“Gascón would turn the LAPD upside-down,” Dennis Zine, 79, a former LA City Councilman and longtime LAPD officer, told The Post. “He basically flipped from one extreme to the other — law enforcement to pro-criminal.
“I would think you’d see a mass exodus of officers with less than five years on the job,” Zine warned. “It’s like the ship is sinking. Let’s get out while we can.”
Los Angeles City Councilwoman Traci Park also said that the choice of police chief could worsen the department’s staffing crisis.
“Decisions about leadership and the appointment of the chief and command staff is something that will absolutely directly impact our staffing levels at LAPD,” Park said.
The Los Angeles Police Protective League was even more forceful.
“Apparently, Nithya Raman’s public safety plan consists of appointing the author of Proposition 47, George Gascón, to be our Chief of Police,” the union’s board of directors charged.
“We’d be laughing if it wasn’t so frightening that after getting bounced two-years ago as District Attorney by a landslide, Raman wants to flip her nose at voters and return Gascón to power.”
Gascón, 72, has longstanding ties to LA’s democratic socialist movement, with the DSA’s Los Angeles chapter urging voters to support him in 2024.
A well-connected senior LAPD officer claimed Gascón is widely believed within the department to be Raman’s preferred replacement.
“It’s not a secret. Everyone knows that. Everyone saying that she’s in touch with him,” the officer said. First Assistant US Attorney Bill Essayli blasted the prospect during a Skid Row press conference.
“I think when you talk to the residents of LA, they want law and order, the days of lawlessness are over,” Essayli said. “Mr. Gascón lost an election over that. So the decision will be made by the voters.”
Political strategist Michael Trujillo questioned whether voters would accept Gascón’s return.
“After voters rejected Gascón as being a public safety official as our DA, do they really want Nithya Raman to backdoor him in as being the chief of police?” Trujillo told The Post.
Gascón joined the LAPD in 1978 and rose to assistant chief before leading police departments in Mesa, Arizona and San Francisco.
He later became San Francisco’s district attorney and won the Los Angeles County DA’s office in 2020.
His four years as LA’s top prosecutor sparked bitter battles over sentencing enhancements, juvenile prosecutions and policies critics considered too lenient.
Supporters argued his reforms reduced excessive punishment and racial disparities. Voters ousted him in 2024, electing Nathan Hochman.
Zine warned a Gascón appointment could drive officers into retirement or neighboring departments just as Los Angeles prepares for the Olympics.
“You’re gonna see a lot of them leaving before the Olympics. There’s no question,” he said.
“We don’t have enough officers now to maintain policing the city of Los Angeles, let alone the drain it’s gonna take on the Olympics.”
One current Los Angeles prosecutor delivered an equally stark assessment.
“Law enforcement hates him. Voters hate him. And Raman attempting to resurrect him should terrify residents of Los Angeles who suffered under the crime spree that took place while Gascón was the DA,” the prosecutor told The Post. “It’s a massive step backwards.”
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