New York City Mayor Mamdani Still without Federal Security Clearance

New York City Mayor Mamdani still without federal security clearance

Mamdani joins former NYC mayors Blasio, Adams who also faced issues with security clearance from federal govt

Mamdani's Security Clearance Still Pending After 8 Months

What the pending application means for City Hall Eight months into his term, Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s federal security-clearance application remains unresolved. The clearance is used to give mayors classified briefings on terrorism and other threats affecting New York City. Former officials told Gothamist that the delay could leave Mamdani without the fullest available account of a developing crisis. Mamdani said in January that he was applying, a…

Mamdani Still Waiting for Federal Security Clearance Nine Months Into Mayoralty

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has yet to receive a federal security clearance nearly nine months after taking office, leaving him without direct access to federally classified intelligence involving terrorism and other national-security threats. City Hall, however, says the process remains underway and that the wait is within the normal timeframe for obtaining such clearance. “The process of obtaining the mayor’s federal security clearance is ongoing and proceeding within the currently prevailing timeline for one,” Sam Raskin, a spokesman for Mamdani, told JNS. Raskin said that despite the mayor’s lack of federal clearance, he continues to receive intelligence information from local law enforcement that does not carry a federal classification. “The New York City Police Department regularly briefs the mayor, as appropriate, on non-federally classified investigations and information,” Raskin said. Receiving the federal clearance would permit Mamdani to be briefed directly on classified information concerning terrorism and other threats to national security. Questioned about the status of his clearance during a press conference on Monday, Mamdani offered essentially the same explanation that his spokesman subsequently provided to JNS. The mayor said the process was continuing and pointed to senior officials in his administration who already have clearances. “The mayor has not yet received his federal security clearance, which is not unusual at this point in a mayoral administration,” the mayor’s office told JNS. City Hall cited the experience of Bill de Blasio, who did not obtain his federal security clearance until October 2015, well after he took office. “Multiple senior officials in City Hall and the NYPD hold federal security clearances,” City Hall told JNS. De Blasio has separately said that such clearance is important because it gives a mayor access to the fullest available information when dealing with potential threats. “We will continue to move forward,” Mamdani said at the press conference. JNS asked Raskin whether Mamdani believes President Donald Trump’s administration has treated him unfairly in connection with the clearance process. The disclosure about the mayor’s pending clearance comes roughly two weeks after Mamdani joined New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and law-enforcement officials in criticizing the Trump administration over $87 million in federal counterterrorism funding that they said was being withheld from New York. Mamdani and Hochul said the federal money is used for intelligence work, bomb squads and other programs intended to protect against terrorism. At the time, Raskin told JNS that NYPD officers “work around the clock to make sure every New Yorker is safe and will continue to do so regardless of the federal government’s decisions.” The status of Mamdani’s security clearance has also drawn attention as New York prepares for the arrival of international leaders for the United Nations General Assembly in Turtle Bay. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is among the leaders expected in the city and is scheduled to address the General Assembly on Sept. 24. During Monday’s press conference, Mamdani was also asked whether he continues to stand by earlier remarks regarding New Yorkers who oppose Netanyahu choosing to protest the Israeli prime minister’s visit. Some members of the NYPD have reportedly expressed concerns that the mayor’s comments surrounding Netanyahu’s visit could complicate security for officers tasked with policing demonstrations. During his campaign for mayor, Mamdani said he would seek Netanyahu’s arrest if the Israeli leader visited New York. Mamdani has since acknowledged that New York City does not have the legal authority to carry out such an arrest, while calling on federal authorities to arrest Netanyahu instead. “I just want to be very clear,” Mamdani said at the press conference, of protesting the Israeli leader. “My prior remarks were that if people choose to do so, then they are able to because that is the law here in New York City.” “I continue to leave it to New Yorkers to make their own decisions,” he said.