Sen. Cory Booker and a senior U.S. counterterrorism official traded sharp words Tuesday after Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard referenced Paterson, New Jersey’s Muslim community in a recent speech at AmericaFest.
Booker, a New Jersey Democrat, objected to Gabbard’s comments from the weekend event in Phoenix, where she spoke about threats to the U.S. homeland tied to Islamist ideology. He criticized her for singling out Paterson—New Jersey’s third-largest city, named for Irish immigrant and Constitution signer William Paterson, and home to a growing Arab Christian and Muslim population.
In a post Tuesday, Booker defended the city’s character and accused Gabbard of targeting an entire community.
“Paterson is one of New Jersey’s oldest cities and has always embodied the best American values — industry, perseverance, and diversity,” Booker wrote.
He added that Gabbard’s “attempt to sow fear” and “smear the Muslim Americans of Paterson” was “dishonest, cruel, and un-American,” arguing it could put residents at risk.
Paterson is often cited as having one of the highest percentages of Muslim residents in the country, behind Muslim-majority Hamtramck, Michigan. The city’s sister city is Ramallah in the West Bank, according to WKXW.
“In Jersey, we know our state’s diversity is our strength, and we stand up for our own,” Booker said.
What Gabbard Said
In her AmericaFest speech, Gabbard said Islamist ideology fuels terrorist groups and should be defeated “militarily,” but also poses a broader threat because it functions as a political ideology, not only a security concern.
She warned that it seeks to “create a global caliphate that governs us here in America” and promote Sharia law governance. She also argued that those who resist could face violence, claiming extremists may use “any means they deem as necessary to silence us.”
Gabbard pointed to examples abroad, saying some German cities have canceled Christmas festivals over fears of attacks by radical Islamists, and warned similar ideas could take hold in the United States. She cited places including Dearborn, Michigan, and Minneapolis, Minnesota, saying clerics were trying to recruit and radicalize young people, and claimed efforts tied to advocacy groups were already underway to institute Sharia law in cities including Houston, Texas, and Paterson, New Jersey.
“Paterson is proud to call themselves the first Muslim city,” she said, adding that leaders there were working to implement “Islamic principles” in government.
Gabbard concluded by saying Islamist ideology is “fundamentally incompatible” with American freedom.
Paterson Officials Push Back
Paterson leaders disputed Gabbard’s characterization and said her remarks misrepresented the city.
Mayor Andre Sayegh, a Democrat, called her “egregiously misinformed” during a press event responding to the speech.
“We’re a better city because Muslims call Paterson home,” Sayegh said. “It’s a point of pride that they contribute to the social and economic fabric of Paterson.”
As an example of the city’s policies, Paterson’s council approved an ordinance in 2020 allowing the Adhan—the Muslim call to prayer—to be broadcast. Imam Quddoos Farra’d told the Paterson Times the practice was comparable to church bells or a shofar being used in other faith traditions.
Counterterrorism Director Fires Back
National Counterterrorism Center Director Joe Kent, a Republican nominated by President Donald Trump, defended Gabbard and criticized Booker. He blamed Democratic policies under President Joe Biden for what he called major national security failures at the border and during the Afghanistan withdrawal.
“The insane policies championed by Booker and the Democrat Party under the Biden administration have allowed a staggering 18,000 known and suspected terrorists to enter our nation,” Kent said, calling it a “disastrous approach” that put American lives at risk.
He also claimed that in the last year, “Muslim jihadis” carried out attacks in New Orleans, Colorado, and Washington, D.C., while law enforcement disrupted additional plots. Kent argued that Gabbard had previously highlighted security concerns involving Afghan evacuees brought to the U.S. under Operation Allies Welcome, and accused Booker and Biden of creating the conditions she is now confronting.
