Why the Mayor of New York City Has a Security Clearance

You may have seen in recent news stories about New York City Mayor Eric Adams being indicted for a bribery scheme involving a foreign government. What you may not know is he was granted a security clearance by the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI). He is not a Federal employee or contractor, so why, you ask, would an elected state official need to have a security clearance?  There is an FBI program called “State and Local Law Enforcement and Elected Officials Security Clearance Initiative” that was established so intelligence information can be shared between Federal, state, and local officials. The Joint Terrorism Task Force is a prime example of this type of intelligence sharing partnership. So, what does this indictment mean for the mayor’s security clearance?

Adams, just like all security clearance holders, is required to report criminal charges against him, and it is up to the granting agency to review the circumstances and seriousness of the charges, and then determine whether to suspend or revoke his clearance eligibility. In this case, Adams has pled not guilty to charges involving taking bribes and illegal campaign contributions, including those from a Turkish company partly owned by the Turkish government. The security concerns related to the indictment fall under criminal conduct and foreign influence. It is unclear whether his security clearance has been suspended by the FBI, but it would be surprising if it wasn’t. If it was, he would no longer be able to attend meetings where classified information was being presented.