House Republicans Push Logan Act Probe Into Mamdani Administration's Iran Outreach

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By Becky Noble

We know Democratic socialists, aka communists, think government should be the be-all-end-all. New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani is no different. Since he became Mayor of America's largest city, he has spoken out on things that are just a bit out of his purview, like Israel and the war with Iran. But Hizzoner is not letting a little thing like boundaries keep him from sticking his nose into things that are not exactly among his duties as mayor — and it might get him in some hot water.

Breitbart reported on Tuesday that a group of House Republicans led by Rep. Addison McDowell (NC-6) requested in a letter that the Department of Justice (DOJ) and Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche investigate the Mamdani administration for a possible violation of the Logan Act when it attempted to organize an unauthorized meeting with a high-ranking Iranian official, all while the U.S. is at war with Iran.

In the letter, the group wrote:

We write with concern about the recent actions of Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s Administration. 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.

The meeting between Archila and two other Mamdani administration officials was confirmed for July 7 at 11:00 AM. However, U.S. State Department officials got wind of the meeting and confronted the Mamdani administration about it. A spokesperson for the mayor's office for International Affairs later stated that “This meeting did not and will not take place.” State Department officials claim they had to “clarify acceptable conduct” with the Mamdani administration, as Archila allegedly did not inform the Mayor about the meeting and was chastised by the mayor's office.

The Logan Act is a little-used federal law that prohibits any American citizen from engaging in unauthorized negotiations with a foreign government in disputes involving the U.S. The letter went on to read in part:

… [W]e understand the vulnerable nature of continued peace negotiations. 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.

Mamdani stated a few days later that he was unaware of the meeting and described it as "a request that came in” to the mayor's office, “not one that originated from the office.” However, an investigation is definitely warranted, if for no other reason, to ask a few questions like: Who the hell does this guy think he is, and why does he or someone in his administration want a meeting with Iranian officials? 

The answers might lie in just who Ana Maria Archila is. She is a known progressive activist with quite a leftist track record. In 2018, she confronted then-Senator Jeff Flake (R-AZ) over his support for Brett Kavanaugh's Supreme Court nomination. Before becoming a member of the Mamdani administration, she was the co-executive director of the Soros-funded Center for Popular Democracy. She has also served as co-director of the Working Families Party and co-founded and led the progressive organization Make the Road New York.

Fortunately, the State Department was able to shut the meeting down...this time. We can probably assume that Archila's "reprimand" from Mamdani or fellow America haters in his office went something like this: "Next time, don't get caught!"

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