House GOP urges Trump admin to deny Zohran Mamdani security clearance

FIRST ON FOX: A group of Republican House lawmakers is urging the Trump administration not to grant a federal security clearance to New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani.

Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., is leading seven other members of the House Freedom Caucus who are writing a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, accusing Mamdani of supporting “violent movements” and having “radical” ties that they say make him unsuitable for classified federal environments.

“DHS should deny Zohran Mamdani a security clearance. The federal government has a constitutional duty to defend the nation against both foreign and domestic threats,” the letter said.

“Mamdani’s radical ties, anti-American rhetoric and support for violent movements make him unfit. Granting him access to classified information would be reckless and endanger NYPD and federal agents.”

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Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani speaks to the media at Flushing Meadows Corona Park in the Queens borough of New York on November 5, 2025. (Adam Gray/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

The letter said Mamdani co-founded a chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine at Bowdoin College when he was a student there, and accused the group of praising the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack in Israel.

“He accused the FBI of radicalizing al-Qaeda terrorist Anwar al-Awlaki, thereby undermining counterterrorism efforts. He appeared alongside clerics who prayed for the annihilation of Israel’s supporters and praised Hamas fighters,” the letter said.

Republican lawmakers said granting Mamdani a security clearance could “empower agitators, escalate threats and endanger the lives of more of these courageous agents.”

REPUBLICAN CHAMBER DEMANDS ZOHRAN MAMDANI BE DEPOSITED OF CITIZENSHIP AND EXPORTED BECAUSE OF HIS “ANTI-ISRAEL” POSITION

Representative Andy Biggs speaks during a press conference. (Getty Images)

“His hostility toward immigration enforcement would make federal coordination dangerous and undermine national security,” they said.

The mayor of New York, although not a federal official, traditionally obtains a security clearance in order to be informed of possible terrorist threats and other national security matters affecting the largest city in the United States.

The letter comes the same day Mamdani is in Washington, D.C., to meet with President Donald Trump, a fellow New Yorker, as an introduction after winning his election earlier this month.

President Donald Trump speaks during a breakfast with Senate Republicans in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington, November 5, 2025. (Evan Vucci/AP Photo)

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The New York City mayor-elect has sought to moderate his views, at least publicly, since the final weeks of his campaign.

He has pledged to be mayor for all residents, despite critics who worry about his hostile rhetoric toward Israel and his lackluster reluctance over whether he supports Hamas.

Fox News Digital has reached out to Mamdani’s transition team and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for comment.