Mamdani admits he has no federal security clearance after claiming he was 'briefed' on Venezuela raid

Zohran Mamdani

Mamdani admits he has no federal security clearance after claiming he was 'briefed' on Venezuela raid

Zohran Mamdani faced viral jokes on social media after appearing to suggest he had inside information on Nicolas Maduro's capture

Anders Hagstrom Fox News

Published

January 6, 2026 9:35am EST

Video

Mamdani called Trump to register his opposition to Maduro capture: 'I made it clear'

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said he called President Donald Trump on Saturday to "register [his] opposition" to the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and his wife. (Credit: City of NY Mayor's Office)

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New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani admitted he has no federal security clearance on Monday, just a day after claiming he had been "briefed" about the U.S. capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

Mamdani was asked directly about his security clearance during a Monday press briefing, ultimately saying that he had not yet received it. The freshly-inaugurated mayor had been the butt of viral jokes on social media from users suggesting he had inflated his access to information about the strike in his initial statement.

"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?" a reporter asked.

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

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Mayor Mamdani speaks during press conference

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani was elected in November 2025 and sworn-in as the city's first socialist mayor on Jan. 1, 2026. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

"So you do have it?" the reporter pressed.

"No, not as yet," the mayor admitted.

The exchange came after Mamdani's initial statement on the Venezuela raid appeared to suggest he had received inside information on the operation.

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Zohran Mamdani is sworn in as mayor of New York City, flanked by his wife Rama Duwaji and New York Attorney General Letitia James, at Old City Hall Station, New York, U.S., Thursday, Jan 1st 2026.

Mamdani is sworn in as mayor on January 1, swearing the oath on a pair of family Qurans. (Amir Hamja/Pool via Reuters)

"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 on X after news of Maduro's capture broke.

He went on to condemn the move by President Donald Trump, but some users on social media called him out for inflating his access.

"Called it," wrote one user whose post on the topic received over 140,000 "likes."

Nicolas Maduro was captured and flown to New York City following a daring military operation this weekend. (XNY/Star Max/GC Images via Getty Images)

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Mamdani's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.

Anders Hagstrom is a reporter with Fox News Digital covering national politics and major breaking news events. Send tips to Anders.Hagstrom@Fox.com, or on X: @Hagstrom_Anders.

Mamdani admits he has no federal security clearance after claiming he was 'briefed' on Venezuela raid