Photo via Daily Mail

Fears for Los Angeles as woke lawmaker who's favorite to be next mayor proudly declares police chief a 'fascist liar'

Read the original at Daily Mail ↗
Cite

Toledo, J. (2026, October 7). Fears for Los Angeles as woke lawmaker who's favorite to be next mayor proudly declares police chief a 'fascist liar'. Daily Mail. https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-16188265/nithya-raman-los-angeles-police-chief.html?ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490&ito=1490

Dated when The Aporia collected the article, usually within hours of publication. Check the original for its exact date and byline.

Daily Mail · collected 2026-10-07 · by Jack Toledo

Quick Summary

Nithya Raman, a 45-year-old democratic socialist and frontrunner for Los Angeles mayor, was filmed by woke influencer Ed Choi at a rally where she allegedly called LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell a "fascist liar," though her campaign later claimed the phrase was directed against ICE and the Trump administration. The post, featuring a red X over Chief McDonnell's face, was quickly deleted from Raman’s Instagram page amid criticism that such rhetoric could endanger law enforcement. Mayor Karen Bass and the LAPD union criticized Raman's language as dangerous and extreme, given recent threats against city officials.
Written by AI on 2026-10-07, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

Nithya Raman, a Democratic Socialist and Los Angeles city councilmember running for mayor, faced backlash after posting a now-deleted social media video where she called LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell "a fascist liar" with a red X through his face. The incident occurred during an interview at the Los Angeles Trade-Technical College on Sunday, April 30th.

The Los Angeles Police Protective League, representing rank-and-file LAPD officers, criticized Raman's actions as dangerous and potentially endangering police protection details assigned to city officials like Mayor Karen Bass and Chief McDonnell.

Mayor Karen Bass accused Raman of being "incredibly irresponsible" and not ready for prime time. Chief Jim McDonnell defended his department against allegations that the LAPD helps ICE enforce immigration laws, stating instead they protect federal agents from threats while not participating in immigration enforcement themselves. He also highlighted how 52 officers were injured during violent protests over ICE raids in June 2025.

Critics argue Raman's comments undermine public trust and safety by targeting police leadership as "fascist liars."

Written for “Nithya Raman Controversy LAPD” on 2026-10-31, grounded in this article and the 6 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 Nithya Raman Controversy LAPD
Politics · 7 article(s) covering the same event. See how they differ ↓

Compared with similar articles

This article reads leans left and hedges 5% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
New York Post
⚖️ Leans strongly right further right than this Hedges 1 of 24 claims Outlet record 66/100
New York Post
Hedges 0 of 36 claims Outlet record 66/100
Fox News
Hedges 2 of 22 claims Outlet record 69/100
“The articles describe different incidents involving Nithya Raman, one at a Jewish forum and another at a rally with Ed Choi.”
New York Post
⚖️ Leans left Hedges 0 of 13 claims Outlet record 66/100
New York Post
⚖️ Leans strongly right further right than this Hedges 1 of 28 claims Outlet record 66/100
“The articles discuss different aspects of an ongoing political and social conflict between Nithya Raman and LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell, but they do not describe the exact same incident occurring at the same time.”
New York Post
⚖️ Leans strongly right further right than this Hedges 3 of 22 claims Outlet record 66/100
“While both articles refer to Nithya Raman's statement about LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell being a 'fascist liar', Article A focuses on the rally and immediate declaration, while Article B is a commentary criticizing her stance.”
New York Post
⚖️ Leans strongly right further right than this Hedges 2 of 25 claims Outlet record 66/100
“Article A discusses Nithya Raman's pledge to fire LAPD chief Jim McDonnell if elected, while Article B focuses on an Instagram post and rally where she called the chief a 'fascist liar'. Although related, these are different specific incidents.”
New York Post
Hedges 4 of 52 claims Outlet record 66/100
“The articles discuss different aspects of Nithya Raman's stance on law enforcement but do not describe the same specific incident.”
New York Post
⚖️ Leans right further right than this Hedges 0 of 16 claims Outlet record 66/100
“Article A describes Nithya Raman's rally and her statement about LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell on Instagram, while Article B reports on LA Mayor Karen Bass criticizing Nithya Raman for the same statement in a later news conference.”
New York Post
⚖️ Leans left Hedges 2 of 21 claims Outlet record 66/100
“Article A focuses on Nithya Raman's Instagram post and rally where she called the LAPD chief a 'fascist liar', while Article B discusses Ed Choi's background and role in interviewing Raman, without specifically focusing on the same incident described in Article A.”
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
37
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
5%
2 of 37 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
Leans left
of the writing, not the subject · beta estimate
Publisher signals
68/100
Daily Mail's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
7
Politics
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-10-07 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

Daily Mail · 8501 article(s) · 20 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 20 correction(s)

Who wrote this

Jack Toledo
59 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
🔮 However, she acknowledged that she could have handled her discussions about race 'more delicately.'
🔮 It remains unclear when Christensen is expected to appear in court.
🔮 The former teacher booked a room at the same hotel at least four times, on May 8, June 4, June 11 and over the July Fourth holiday.
🔮 Gina Fiore, 48, told the Las Vegas Review-Journal she was working as a blackjack dealer when she decided at 24 that she would make gambling her full time job.
🔮 Six Flags plans to add seatbelts to a roller coaster in Georgia after a man was ejected from the ride to his death, a move that may lead to slower lines, according to an expert.
🔮 The dangerous challenge has made rounds on social media for years, with platforms such as Facebook previously announcing they would remove such videos.
🔮 After revealing that the school was about 247 percent over capacity to the board, the foundation's Executive Director Hayat Jaludi explained that she defied the capacity limits because she did not want to disrupt students' education. 'If there are any educators in this room, you will understand and appreciate the importance of not disrupting or interrupting students' right to be educated,' Hayat said.
🔮 - See more Daily Mail on Google - save us as a Preferred Source Vice President JD Vance has revealed that he may not run for president in 2028, as a recent poll casts doubt on whether Americans believe he and President Trump are leading the US down the right path. Vance, 42, revealed during an hour-long town hall hosted by CBS News on Saturday that there was certainly a chance he would not pursue the presidency to succeed Trump.
🔮 That lady would've got West Coast cussed out immediately omg.
🔮 'But I will tell you, we wouldn't move forward, and President Trump didn't want to move forward either, unless we knew that it couldn't be politically driven.
Also by Jack Toledo
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 59 articles by Jack Toledo →

Topics

Instagram LAPD LAPPL Los Angeles the Daily Mail

Subjects

Raman PERSON · 11× Bass PERSON · 6× Choi PERSON · 5× LAPPL ORG · 4× Instagram ORG · 3× Jim McDonnell PERSON · 3× Karen Bass PERSON · 3× LAPD ORG · 3× Los Angeles GPE · 3× McDonnell PERSON · 3×

Narrative

Raman answered by saying the LAPD protects federal immigration agents and added that change starts from the top. 'I think there's a lot that we can do to make sure our LAPD is actually protecting people instead of protecting ICE on our streets, as we saw happen,' Raman said.
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-10-07
🔮 - See more Daily Mail on Google - save us as a Preferred Source A socialist lawmaker likely to become the next mayor of Los Angeles allegedly called the LAPD police chief a 'fascist liar' in a now-deleted Instagram post.

Claims (37 extracted, 2 hedged)

- See more Daily Mail on Google - save us as a Preferred Source A socialist lawmaker likely to become the next mayor of Los Angeles allegedly called the LAPD police chief a 'fascist liar' in a now-deleted Instagram post. uncertain
lawmaker → see → post
Nithya Raman, a 45-year-old democratic socialist, was interviewed on video at her rally on Sunday by woke influencer Ed Choi. asserted
Raman → interview → Choi
'Only you can stop fascist liars,' the pair said while smiling. asserted
pair → stop → liars
The reference appears to be a riff off the public service announcement, 'Only you can prevent forest fires.' asserted
you → appear → fires
She then declared how she would remove Police Chief Jim McDonnell as a photo of him appeared with a large red X over his face. asserted
photo → declare → face
By Tuesday morning, Raman's campaign page had removed the video from Instagram. asserted
page → remove → Instagram
Choi also removed the post. asserted
Choi → remove → post
The latest poll from FM3 Research, conducted in late September, shows the socialist holds a four-point lead over incumbent Mayor Karen Bass. asserted
socialist → conduct → Bass
Bass, 73, blasted Raman over the video in a statement to the Los Angeles Times and noted how the councilwoman voted against police hiring earlier this year and had previously called for defunding the police. asserted
councilwoman → blast → police
'But labeling them "fascists" — when officers put on the uniform every day to keep us safe — is crossing the line,' Bass said. asserted
Bass → label → line
In a now deleted Instagram post by woke influencer Ed Choi and Nithya Raman campaign page, the democratic socialist allegedly called the LAPD police chief a 'fascist liar' Raman, a 45-year-old democratic socialist, was interviewed on video at her rally on Sunday by Choi. uncertain
Raman → delete → Choi
In an edited video the pair gave toothy smiles while saying: 'Only you can stop fascist liars' asserted
you → edit → liars
'It's dangerous and extreme rhetoric, and it has no place in this city — let alone from someone trying to become mayor.' asserted
it → have → someone
That same sentiment was echoed by the Los Angeles Police Protective League (LAPPL), the city's police union. asserted
sentiment → echo → League
'Nithya Raman’s social media post that circles Chief McDonnell’s face in red and then crosses out his face is no joke, in fact it is dangerous,' said the LAPPL to the Daily Mail. asserted
LAPPL → circle → Mail
The violent political rhetoric that has overtaken our public discourse has in many instances led to violence. asserted
that → overtake → violence
Raman’s social media post can be seen as a dog whistle by unhinged individuals to go after Chief McDonnel.' asserted
post → see → McDonnel
The LAPPL spokesman pointed to how the Chief and the Mayor have a security detail, because they are under constant threat. asserted
they → point → threat
'Unfortunately Ms. Raman has now amplified those threats, and further endangered our members who serve on these details. asserted
who → amplify → details
It also underscores why she has no business leading Los Angeles,' the LAPPL added. asserted
LAPPL → underscore → Angeles
Raman's campaign said Choi was responsible for how the video was edited and claimed she never called Bass or the chief 'fascist liars. asserted
she → say → Bass
' 'Nithya was interviewed by several social media creators on Sunday,' the campaign told the Daily Mail. asserted
campaign → interview → Mail
'In one interview, the creator asked her to repeat his phrase, "only you can stop fascist liars," which she said in reference to ICE and the Trump administration's violent kidnappings that continue in our city today. asserted
that → ask → city
Her campaign spokesperson said the video was edited to show Bass during a different portion of the interview. asserted
video → say → interview
Raman declared she would remove Police Chief Jim McDonnell as a photo of him appeared with a large red X over his face The socialist holds a four-point lead over incumbent Mayor Karen Bass, who blasted Raman over the upload ' asserted
who → declare → upload
Nithya never used that phrase to describe Mayor Bass, Chief McDonnell, or LAPD officers, which is why we removed ourselves from the post and asked the creator to take it down immediately,' the campaign added. asserted
campaign → use → it
However, the video did start with Raman and Choi stating, 'Only you can stop fascist liars,' and Raman's campaign collaborated on the post, sharing the interview to its nithyaforthecity account. asserted
campaign → start → account
The video then immediately cut to the influencer asking Raman a question about Bass and McDonnell. asserted
influencer → cut → Bass
'Los Angeles has become extremely fascist, especially because Karen Bass appointed Jim McDonnell as the chief of police,' Choi said. ' asserted
Choi → become → police
I wanted to know, especially for the immigrant community that's watching, what is your plan to de-fascicize this city?' asserted
plan → want → city
Raman answered by saying the LAPD protects federal immigration agents and added that change starts from the top. 'I think there's a lot that we can do to make sure our LAPD is actually protecting people instead of protecting ICE on our streets, as we saw happen,' Raman said. asserted
Raman → answer → streets
A campaign spokesperson for Raman denied that she called Bass or McDonnell fascist liars and said Choi was responsible for the video editing and asked he delete it ' asserted
he → deny → it
I think that starts with a culture shift from the very top and new leadership in the department. asserted
that → think → department
' 'I don't believe that Chief McDonnell has met this moment,' she added. ' asserted
she → believe → moment
And I will make sure that we are appointing a police chief who can really respond to the needs that immigrant Angelenos have and that every resident of Los Angeles has. asserted
resident → make → Angeles
' Raman and Choi once again repeated, 'Only you can stop fascist liars,' before the video ended. asserted
video → repeat → liars
The Daily Mail has reached out to Raman's campaign, Choi, the LAPD and the Los Angeles Police Protective League for comment. asserted
Mail → reach → comment
💬Give feedback
🕘History 🎫Support