A sharp political clash has erupted between Los Angeles mayoral contender Nithya Raman and LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell, after a video featuring the progressive councilmember appeared to label the city’s top police official a “fascist liar.”
McDonnell condemned the remarks as “disappointing” and pointed to the 52 officers injured during violent immigration protests in Los Angeles last year.
“I saw that, and I was disappointed that she would be associated with anything like that,” McDonnell told NBC Los Angeles.
The police chief spoke publicly one day after the California Post reported on Raman’s comments, which appeared in a since-deleted social media video with left-wing influencer Ed Choi. In the clip, McDonnell’s face was displayed beneath a prominent red X.
McDonnell also pushed back against Raman’s claim that the LAPD prioritized federal immigration officials over protesters during the unrest in June 2025. He said officers endured serious injuries, including hearing damage and concussions, while responding to violent attacks.
“We had 52 officers injured during that period of time. The assaults on officers were like I’ve never seen before, with commercial-grade fireworks being shot directly at them,” McDonnell said.
“We had officers with hearing impairments as a result of this, we had concussive injuries,” he added.
According to McDonnell, officers were targeted with Molotov cocktails, faced all-terrain vehicles being driven at them and watched as vehicles were set on fire in their path.
“The officers were amazingly disciplined for what they were facing,” McDonnell said.
The video began with Raman and Choi declaring, “Only you can stop fascist liars,” while images of Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass appeared on screen.
McDonnell’s image appeared later in the video, marked with a large red X.
Choi said Los Angeles had become “extremely fascist,” citing Bass’ decision to appoint McDonnell as police chief, before asking Raman how she would reshape the city.
Raman accused the LAPD of shielding Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents rather than protecting local residents. She also said she would remove McDonnell if she won the mayoral race.
An LAPD officer told The Post that placing a red X over the chief’s face could effectively single him out as a target, describing the video as “extremely dangerous.”
Raman’s campaign said the phrase “fascist liars” was aimed at ICE and the Trump administration—not McDonnell, Bass or LAPD officers.
“The video was then edited by the creator to put Mayor Bass on screen during that moment, but Nithya never used that phrase to describe Mayor Bass, Chief McDonnell or LAPD officers,” the campaign said in a statement to The Post.
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Scott Meyers, a candidate for California’s 30th Congressional District, criticized Raman over the video and called for her to answer questions about it.
“Nithya needs to be grilled on how deceitful this video of hers is, disparaging an entire police force of dedicated and extremely patient public servants who risk their lives daily,” Meyers told The Post.
“Nithya Raman is disloyal to the country and the city and us. She’s just seeking power,” he added.
The dispute follows an earlier exclusive report from The Post alleging that Raman was drinking cocktails with campaign colleagues at a Los Angeles bar as immigration protests broke out across the city.
Raman had attended an anti-ICE demonstration earlier that day before heading to the bar, according to her campaign.
Sixteen months later, she has made the LAPD’s response to those raids a centerpiece of her campaign to unseat Bass, pledging to replace McDonnell because she believes he failed to protect immigrant communities.
Her video appeared as the LAPD struggles with a staffing crisis. The department had roughly 8,550 uniformed officers in July — down from 8,700 in February and 9,200 when Mayor Karen Bass took office in 2022.
In January, Raman voted against Bass’ proposal to hire an additional 170 officers, citing concerns about the city’s strained finances.
But a few months later, after entering the mayoral race, Raman acknowledged the department was already struggling to respond to emergency calls.
“We need to maintain the size of our police force and grapple with the fact that even the size of our existing police force is not enough to respond to 911 calls in a timely fashion,” she told NBC Los Angeles.
Raman’s pledge to replace McDonnell marks a reversal from November 2024, when she voted to confirm him as LAPD chief in an 11-2 City Council vote.
Raman did not respond to a request for comment from The Post on who she would replace McDonnell with as department chief.
Raman has refused to say whether she’ll embrace the radical agenda of the Democratic Socialists of America, which has endorsed her for mayor and whose policies include include cutting police funding and closing jails.
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Late last month, she voted “no” on $100,000 in funding that would pay for the LAPD to participate in the Joint Regional Intelligence Center, which helps federal and local agencies share and analyze information about terrorism and other criminal threats.
She voted “yes” on a council measure to grant $320,000 in federal funds for LAPD recruit de-escalation training, which would teach 450 would-be cops about strategic withdrawal techniques and use-of-force rules.
