Lasher is keeping Katz

Like New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, Democratic congressional nominee Micah Lasher isn’t ready to give up on consultant Morris Katz.

At a Four Freedoms Democratic Club meeting on Thursday night, Lasher was asked whether he’ll continue to work with Katz, the 27-year-old who’s come under fire for his work with disgraced Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner. Lasher snapped that the question was “ridiculous” and said of course he would.

Katz has come under withering scrutiny in recent weeks for working with Platner, a Marine veteran and oysterman who electrified Maine crowds with his gruff left-populist speeches but also suffered an escalating series of scandals, culminating in an accusation of sexual assault by a former partner (which he has denied) that finally forced him to drop out of the race.

Katz stood by his client through earlier scandals – including offensive Reddit posts, a Nazi tattoo and allegations that he mistreated former partners – but once Platner was accused of sexual assault, Katz reportedly tried to convince him to drop out and then helped wind down the campaign.

But any association with Platner was too much for Erica Vladimer, the founding director of advocacy group Harassment-Free New York, which previously criticized Mamdani for sticking with Katz. Vladimer was also at the Four Freedoms meeting, and she wasn’t happy with Lasher’s answer. 

“What a telling and terrible message the presumptive Congressmember-elect is sending to his campaign staff and future congressional employees,” she said in a statement. “For someone who touts decades of government and political experience on the campaign trail, I’d expect him to remember just how pervasive and systemic sexual harassment and abuse are in the halls of power – not dismiss a question about protecting abusers as ‘ridiculous.’ Lasher didn't just confirm he'll keep working with Katz; he made clear that accountability for survivors isn't even worth a serious answer.”

But Lasher doubled down in a statement to City & State, defending Katz while criticizing Platner. “Graham Platner should not be anywhere near the Senate and I’m glad he won’t be,” he said. “But anyone focused on blacklisting consultants four months before the most important midterm election of my lifetime should reexamine their priorities. My outstanding team of consultants, Morris Katz included, remains intact.”

Before getting entangled with Platner’s scandals, Katz was flying high. The consultant, who works with the progressive firm Fight Agency, played a key role in Mamdani’s successful mayoral campaign and remains one of the mayor’s top advisers. He also worked closely with Mamdani-backed congressional candidates Brad Lander and Claire Valdez, both of whom won their primaries.