Briefed by Whom? Zohran Mamdani Admits He Has Zero Security Clearance [WATCH]

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani acknowledged Monday that he does not hold a federal security clearance, a day after publicly stating he had been “briefed” on the U.S. military operation that led to the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, as reported by Fox News.

Mamdani made the admission during a press briefing at City Hall after reporters questioned whether he had access to classified information related to the operation.

The clarification followed a wave of online criticism and viral jokes suggesting the newly inaugurated mayor overstated his access to sensitive federal briefings.

During the exchange, a reporter asked Mamdani 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?”

“That briefing, yes, was conducted by my team,” Mamdani responded. “And the question of federal security clearance is one that’s on and on.”

When pressed again—“So you do have it?”—Mamdani replied, “No, not as yet.”

I said it before: Mayor Zohran Mamdani does not have federal security clearance. When asked directly by a reporter, he initially danced around the question—then ultimately answered “NO,” confirming he does not have clearance.
That means he was not briefed on Nicolás Maduro or any… pic.twitter.com/5mURMFRfMR

— Lattina Brown, MPA (@LattinaBrown) January 5, 2026

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The questions stemmed from Mamdani’s statement posted to X on Sunday, shortly after news broke that U.S. forces had captured Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, and transferred them to federal custody in New York.

“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.

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

The phrasing of that post led many social media users to conclude that Mamdani had received a classified or federal-level briefing.

Several users questioned how a mayor who had just taken office could have been granted access to information typically restricted to federal officials with security clearances.

One user responded to Mamdani’s post with “Called it,” a comment that garnered more than 140,000 likes as the controversy spread online.

Mamdani later condemned the operation ordered by President Donald Trump, but did not specify the source or scope of the information he relied on when making his initial statement.

At Monday’s briefing, the mayor clarified that the “briefing” referenced in his post was conducted internally by his own staff rather than by federal authorities.

The episode drew attention to the process by which local officials obtain federal security clearances.

Newly elected mayors in major cities can eventually receive certain clearances to coordinate with federal agencies on issues such as counterterrorism and emergency preparedness, but those clearances require vetting and are not automatic upon taking office.

Mamdani’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital seeking clarification on whether federal agencies had begun the clearance process.

The exchange added to scrutiny surrounding Mamdani’s early days in office, as he navigates the transition into leading the nation’s largest city while engaging publicly on international events typically handled at the federal level.

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