New York, New York - Former New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has denounced a "false and fabricated" news story in which he was quoted expressing skepticism of Zohran Mamdani's policy agenda.

De Blasio linked to a story published by the Times of London which has been taken offline.

According to the New York Times, the article included purported quotes from de Blasio questioning the feasibility of Mamdani's affordability agenda.

"In my view, the math doesn't hold up under scrutiny, and the political hurdles are substantial," the 64-year-old was quoted as saying about Mamdani's policy proposals.

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De Blasio responded immediately after the article was published, posting: "I want to be 100% clear: The story in the Times of London is entirely false and fabricated. It was just brought to my attention and I'm appalled."

"I never spoke to that reporter and never said those things. Those quotes aren't mine, don't reflect my views," the former mayor added.

It turns out an impersonator was behind the remarks.

The Times of London said in a statement quoted by the NYT that the story had been taken down "after discovering that our reporter had been misled by an individual falsely claiming to be the former New York mayor."

The campaign of former Governor Andrew Cuomo attempted to capitalize on the false story upon its release.

Cuomo campaign spokesperson Rich Azzopardi on Tuesday shared a New York Post story about the alleged interview on X, writing, "Noted fiscal hawk Bill de Blasio gets around to reading Zohran K. Mamdani's fine print (just kidding, there is no fine print, just glitter and vibes.)"

When an X user pointed out that the article was false, Azzopardi responded, "No s***. The second part of my comment stands. Thanks for playing comrade."

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Cuomo is running as an independent after losing the Democratic primary to Mamdani in June.

Amid the scandal, de Blasio reiterated his support for the 34-year-old frontrunner after endorsing him for mayor in an op-ed published by the New York Daily News in early September.

"We don't just need Zohran Mamdani to be our mayor because he has the right ideas, or because they can be achieved. We need him because in his heart and in his bones he cannot accept a city that prices out the people who built it and keep it running," he wrote.

"I demand The Times pull down this story immediately. It is an absolute violation of journalistic ethics. The truth is I fully support Zohran K. Mamdani and believe his vision is both necessary and achievable," de Blasio said in a separate post on Tuesday.