New York City’s radical socialist Mayor Zohran Mamdani has been forced to admit that he does not have federal security clearance just one day after suggesting he had been “briefed” on the U.S. military operation that resulted in the capture of Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro.
Mamdani faced questions during a Monday press briefing after his earlier public statement led some observers to believe he had been granted access to sensitive federal information.
His comments quickly drew skepticism and widespread mockery online.
A reporter confronted the mayor directly:
“You don’t have federal security clearance yet, and has anyone from a federal agency reached out to you or members of your team to begin the vetting to get federal security clearance?”
Mamdani insisted that the “briefing” he referenced came from his own staff.
“That briefing, yes, was conducted by my team,” he said.
“And the question of federal security clearance is one that’s on and on.”
The reporter pressed further:
“So you do have it?”
Mamdani then conceded:
“No, not as yet.”
The exchange followed the Democrat mayor’s Sunday statement on X.
It was posted shortly after news broke that U.S. forces had captured socialist dictator Maduro and his wife.
“I was briefed this morning on the U.S. military capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, as well as their planned imprisonment in federal custody here in New York City,” Mamdani wrote.
The mayor went on to condemn President Donald Trump’s decision.
I was briefed this morning on the U.S. military capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, as well as their planned imprisonment in federal custody here in New York City.
Unilaterally attacking a sovereign nation is an act of war and a violation of federal and…
— Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani (@NYCMayor) January 3, 2026
However, social media users accused him of exaggerating his level of access.
Some argue that his wording implied involvement in federal-level discussions.
One user, who had predicted online that Mamdani’s “briefing” would turn out to be internal, reacted to the clarification simply:
“Called it,” the commenter asserted.
The post received more than 140,000 likes.
Mamdani, who was sworn in as New York City’s first Muslim mayor last week, has faced intense political scrutiny in his opening days in office over his ideological positions and public rhetoric.
Monday’s embarrassing exchange added fresh questions about the credibility of his public communications as his administration settles in.
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