Imagine a congressman so eager to avoid tough questions that he pretends to take a call, only to be caught with his phone screen betraying the act.
That’s exactly what happened with Democratic Rep. Tom Suozzi of New York, captured on camera outside the U.S. Capitol on Thursday, seemingly faking a conversation to sidestep queries about the violent unrest in Los Angeles tied to ICE raids.
Footage obtained by the Daily Caller News Foundation shows Suozzi holding his phone to his ear, muttering phrases like “Sorry, hold on,” while the iMessage app sits open on his home screen, suggesting no call was incoming.
An unidentified individual pressed him with pointed questions, including, “Congressman, what do Democrats mean when they say the riots in LA are peaceful?” Suozzi’s response? A feeble “Hello,” repeated twice, as if that would fool anyone.
Let’s be frank: If you’re a public servant, dodging accountability with a pretend phone call isn’t just clumsy—it’s a disservice to constituents who deserve straight answers on serious issues like public safety.
The unrest in Los Angeles, triggered by ICE raids, has become a lightning rod for division among congressional Democrats. While some label the riots “outrageous,” others insist they’re “mostly peaceful,” revealing a party at odds with itself over how to address violence at anti-ICE protests.
Suozzi, representing a Long Island district that supported President Donald Trump in November, has stayed conspicuously silent on the matter. His refusal to engage, even when directly asked if throwing rocks at a moving car counts as peaceful, speaks volumes about the tightrope he’s walking.
Sure, navigating party lines is tricky, but when chaos erupts in a major city, shouldn’t a co-chair of the centrist Problem Solvers Caucus have something—anything—to say?
Other Democratic voices haven’t exactly clarified the party’s stance. Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, commenting on California rioters burning self-driving cars, chalked it up to “exuberance of the moment”—a curious way to frame destructive behavior.
Meanwhile, Rep. Maxine Waters, whose district includes parts of Los Angeles, insisted there was “no violence” in the area, despite clear evidence of ongoing unrest.
That’s a head-scratcher for anyone following the news, and it only muddles the waters further.
Then there’s Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a fellow New Yorker, pushing to abolish ICE altogether while arguing Democrats shouldn’t be pressured to denounce protest violence. It’s a bold stance, but one that leaves moderates like Suozzi in an awkward spot, caught between progressive ideals and commonsense expectations.
The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) isn’t letting Suozzi off the hook, labeling him a top target for the 2026 midterms.
NRCC spokesperson Maureen O’Toole didn’t mince words, stating, “Two-faced Tom Suozzi calls himself a ‘commonsense Democrat,’ but when asked about violent riots, he cowardly fakes a phone call.”
O’Toole added, “Suozzi’s refusal to condemn chaos shows he’s fully captured by the radical left.” While the rhetoric is sharp, it taps into a frustration many feel when elected officials duck accountability on issues of law and order.
Even if one disagrees with the NRCC’s framing, Suozzi’s actions—or lack thereof—hand critics plenty of ammunition. A simple statement condemning violence could have avoided this mess, but instead, we’re left with a viral clip of a phone charade that’s hard to defend.