A group of House Republicans is urging the Department of Justice to investigate New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s administration for possible violations of the Logan Act after reports surfaced that a senior city official arranged a meeting with Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations without federal authorization, Breitbart reports.

Rep. Addison McDowell (R-N.C.) led the effort, sending a letter Thursday morning to Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche after reports revealed that a top Mamdani administration official had attempted to organize a meeting with a senior representative of the Iranian government while the United States remains engaged in hostilities with Iran.

Joining McDowell in signing the letter were Reps. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.), Earl Carter (R-Ga.), Pat Fallon (R-Texas), Randy Fine (R-Fla.), Clay Fuller (R-Ga.), Pat Harrigan (R-N.C.), Wesley Hunt (R-Texas), Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.), Richard McCormick (R-Ga.), Max Miller (R-Ohio), Riley Moore (R-W.Va.), Pete Sessions (R-Texas), and Claudia Tenney (R-N.Y.).

“We write with concern about the recent actions of Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s Administration,” McDowell wrote. “Last week, media outlets began to report Commissioner Ana María Archila, the head of the New York City Mayor’s Office for International Affairs, had scheduled a July 7 meeting with the Islamic Republic of Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations, Amir-Saeid Iravani.”

According to screenshots of a calendar invitation obtained by City Journal, Archila and two other senior members of the Mayor’s Office for International Affairs planned to meet with Iravani on July 7 at 11:00 a.m. The publication reported that sources familiar with both New York City’s international affairs office and the diplomatic community confirmed the meeting had been scheduled.

A State Department official also confirmed that Archila arranged the meeting, which was ultimately canceled after federal officials learned of it and confronted the Mamdani administration. The intended purpose of the meeting has not been publicly disclosed.

According to reports, State Department officials were forced to “clarify acceptable conduct” with members of the mayor’s administration. City Journal further reported that Archila allegedly failed to notify Mayor Mamdani about the planned meeting and was subsequently reprimanded by the mayor’s office.

“As you know, negotiations with Iran are in a critical stage,” the lawmakers wrote. “Given its timing, we believe this proposed meeting may have presented significant national security risks.”

The letter asks the Justice Department to determine whether officials in the mayor’s office violated the Logan Act, a federal law that prohibits unauthorized negotiations between private American citizens and foreign governments involved in disputes with the United States.

“Mayor Mamdani’s and Commissioner Archila’s actions create a clear conflict of interest with the United States’ strategic military actions in Iran and across the Middle East, warranting further examination by the Department,” the letter argued, before the lawmakers stated their support for President Donald Trump’s “effort to shore up American economic and national security interests in the Middle East.”

The lawmakers further wrote, “… [W]e understand the vulnerable nature of continued peace negotiations,” adding, “For that reason, we believe that a formal investigation is necessary to determine whether Commissioner Archila, acting on behalf of Mayor Mamdani, engaged in any unlawful activity or communication with the Islamic Republic of Iran.”

Responding to the reports, a spokesperson for the Mayor’s Office for International Affairs told City Journal, “This meeting did not and will not take place.”

Mayor Mamdani also addressed the matter during an unrelated press conference, saying the proposed meeting resulted from a “request that came in” to the Mayor’s Office for International Affairs, “not one that originated from the office.”

He added that his administration is developing revised procedures for handling requests for meetings with foreign officials, according to The New York Times.

In a statement issued Friday, the State Department described it as “unconscionable” that a New York City official would consider meeting with Iran’s ambassador under the current circumstances and expressed appreciation that the meeting was ultimately canceled.

In an exclusive statement to Breitbart News, McDowell said, “undermining national security has serious risks, and the Mayor of New York should know better than to meddle in our foreign affairs during the height of negotiations between the White House and Iran.”

“The Department of Justice needs to look into Mamdani’s office and ensure they are not acting as rogue agents to the detriment of America’s national security,” the congressman continued. “Mamdani does not speak for America. President Trump earned the public’s trust to ensure the safety and security of the United States.”

Archila is a longtime progressive activist who previously drew national attention after confronting then-Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) in an elevator over his support for Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez later invited Archila to attend President Trump’s 2019 State of the Union address as her guest following that confrontation.

Before joining the Mamdani administration in February, Archila had little background in international diplomacy. She previously served as co-executive director of the Soros-funded Center for Popular Democracy, was co-director of the Working Families Party, and helped found and lead progressive advocacy groups including Make the Road New York.

{Matzav.com}