Mamdani gets federal security clearance after 9 months as NYC mayor

This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. End of dialog window. New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani received federal security clearance on Wednesday, nine months after he entered office. “I have my security clearance now,” Mamdani told reporters in a Wednesday press conference. With the new clearance, Mamdani is able to review classified documents. A spokesperson for Mamdani said before he was issued the credentials, Mamdani was relying on New York Police Department briefings, according to a statement provided to the Gothamist. Mamdani received the clearance from the federal government following a high-profile meeting between the mayor and President Trump at Gracie Mansion during the United Nations General Assembly. It is unclear if this meeting concerned Mamdani’s security clearance but Trump has revoked similar clearances for New York Attorney General Letitia James and Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg for cases they led against the president. When asked about the cancellations, Trump told reporters last year, he revoked the security clearances of people he doesn’t respect. “There are people that we don’t respect, if there are people that we thought that were breaking the law, that came very close to it in previous years, we do it. And we’ve done it with some people,” he said. He also removed Secret Service protection for former Vice President Kamala Harris and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. The time period Mamdani waited is average, according to the U. S. Government Accountability Office (GAO), which reported federal agencies were experiencing “repeated delays” concerning issuing clearances. A February 2026 GAO report found that federal agencies took, on average, just under seven months to authorize 90 percent of security clearances like Mamdani’s in the second half of fiscal year 2025. This is 92 days longer than the federal government’s goal of 114 days. While the delay aligns with current federal government estimates, former NYC officials worried that lack of clearance would not allow Mamdani to get the “full picture” on certain issues. “It is vitally important for a mayor to have security clearance,” former NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio said, according to the Gothamist. He faced a similar security clearance delay though he applied late for the credentials. “Every mayor deserves to have all the best information available to be able to protect New Yorkers,” the former mayor told Gothamist. Mamdani’s office did not respond immediately to The Hill’s request for comment. Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.