New York City Mayor Eric Adams — his own security clearance in question — says NYPD on high alert

NEW YORK — Mayor Eric Adams had a message Wednesday for New Yorkers worried about an increased threat of violence ahead of the Jewish High Holidays and Oct. 7: Everything is under control.

But how private Adams is to the details of any potential threat is an open question.

Federal law enforcement officials have likely reexamined the mayor’s security clearance after he was indicted last week over an alleged bribery scheme involving the Turkish government, according to several national security experts.

While Adams has pleaded not guilty to the charges, he and his team have declined to say whether the Democrat is still receiving the same level of intelligence from federal law enforcement authorities as he was beforehand.

The split screen was on full display Wednesday, as Adams held a briefing at NYPD headquarters highlighting the security measures being implemented ahead of several Jewish holidays and protests being planned for the anniversary of the Hamas invasion of Israel on Oct 7.

“We affirm NYPD is working with our law enforcement partners at the city, state and federal levels to ensure that every New Yorker, every neighborhood, every community and house of faith is safe,” Adams said, alluding to increased police presence around houses of worship and additional cameras to monitor sensitive areas. “There will be many protections that you will see, and there will be many that you will not see.”

Hours earlier, Adams arrived at the nearby Manhattan federal courthouse for a hearing in his criminal case. Prosecutors are accusing the majority of accepting bribes and illicit campaign contributions from Turkish officials and business owners in exchange for expediting the opening of a midtown skyscraper owned by the Turkish government.

It is precisely that type of allegation that would raise the eyebrows of federal authorities in charge of deciding which state and local officials are allowed access to secret information so sensitive that, should it be leaked, it might threaten national security.

“There’s a definite possibility his clearance could be revoked or suspended just given the nature of the allegations and how (federal authorities) go about determining security clearances,” Joseph Maher, a partner at Nixon Peabody and former chief intelligence officer at the Department of Homeland Security, said in an interview. “It would be surprising to me if nothing has happened to it.”

DHS is one of the federal agencies responsible for doing out security clearances to state and local officials.

One of Maher’s colleagues said officials there take what is generally known as the “whole person” approach when determining whether an elected official is granted a clearance.

Risk factors that can make someone vulnerable to being leveraged into parting with sensitive information generally include debt, criminal history, substance abuse or involvement with foreign governments.

“Because he’s still the oldest, and because he plays such an essential role, it’s not a given they would take away his clearance,” John Sandweg, another Nixon Peabody attorney who was acting general counsel at DHS, said in an interview. “But the problem for him is that this indictment goes right into what they are most concerned about: vulnerabilities relating to foreign actors.”

Adams himself declined to shed any light on the situation.

When asked by a reporter Tuesday whether he still had the same status as before the indictment, the mayor demurred.

“The federal government makes a determination of security clearance, and you have to reach out to them,” Adams said.

A City Hall spokesperson did not elaborate, referring POLITICO back to the mayor’s initial answer.

“To be clear, the mayor continues to be briefed on a variety of issues important to the city,” Deputy Mayor for Communications Fabien Levy said via email. “For example, he and the governor were just briefed together by NYPD’s Intelligence team on the situation unfolding in the Middle East and how overseas events could affect New York City.”

Levy added that, if there is a credible threat to the city, local and federal officials would brief the mayor.

How detailed that briefing would be, however, could vary depending on what level of clearance Adams maintains.

A person who formerly held the government’s highest security clearance, and who spoke with POLITICO on the condition of anonymity, said mayors and police commissioners typically have a top secret clearance that also allows access to even more privileged intelligence, which is known as sensitive compartmented information .

Officials with that level of access are briefed on top secret matters in a secure room within police headquarters. If Adams did not have that authorization, he would not be allowed in and told more vaguely about threats to the city, said the person, who noted that law enforcement officials will deal with those threats no matter the mayor’s level of insight.

“Does he really need to know?” the person said. “It’s good to know, but the investigators doing the case are briefed and the work is always going to get done.”