LAPD top boss slams Nithya Raman after campaign video brands him ‘fascist liar’

The war is on between socialist mayoral hopeful Nithya Raman and LA’s top cop — who fired back at the radical candidate over her controversial remarks appearing to call the city’s top cop a “fascist liar.”

LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell called Raman’s comments “disappointing,” saying that 52 police officers were injured during last year’s violent immigration protests.

“I saw that, and I was disappointed that she would be associated with anything like that,” McDonnell told NBC Los Angeles.

The chief broke his silence a day after the California Post first reported on Raman’s remarks in since-deleted social media video featuring the city councilmember and left-wing influencer Ed Choi, which showed McDonnell’s face crossed out with a large red X.

McDonnell  defended his officers against Raman’s accusations that the LAPD protected federal immigration agents instead of protesters during the June 2025 unrest, revealing that cops suffered hearing damage and concussions while facing 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.

The chief described officers being attacked with Molotov cocktails, all-terrain vehicles driven toward them and cars set ablaze in front of them.

“The officers were amazingly disciplined for what they were facing,” McDonnell said.

Raman’s video opened with Raman and Choi saying, “Only you can stop fascist liars,” as images of Mayor Karen Bass appeared on screen.

Later, McDonnell’s face appeared with a large red X across it.

Choi accused Los Angeles of becoming “extremely fascist” because Bass appointed McDonnell as police chief and asked Raman how she planned to change the city.

Raman responded by accusing the LAPD of protecting ICE agents instead of residents and pledged to replace McDonnell if elected mayor.

One LAPD member told The Post that putting a red X over McDonnell’s face effectively made him a target, calling the video “extremely dangerous.”

Raman’s campaign told The Post in a statement that the “fascist liars” remark referred to 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,” Raman’s campaign said.

Scott Meyers, a candidate for California’s 30th Congressional District, blasted Raman over the video.

“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.”

The controversy comes after The Post exclusively revealed that Raman was sipping cocktails with members of her team at an LA watering hole on the afternoon the immigration protests erupted 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.