Emzari Gelashvili
Role at the time: National-security analyst and opinion columnist
Challenged the characterization
Statement summary
Gelashvili said no one had confirmed Loomer's claim that the FBI denied Mamdani a clearance. He argued for a decision under the usual security guidelines rather than political shortcuts.
“No one has confirmed it.”
Open source (opens in a new tab)Gelashvili treats Loomer's clearance-denial claim as unconfirmed - sourceSeptember 18, 2026 column, paragraph beginning 'The debate has produced two shortcuts' and following paragraphs
His column contrasted Republican demands to deny Mamdani a clearance with Loomer's assertion that a denial had already occurred. Gelashvili argued that delays alone prove little and called for scrutiny of relevant foreign contacts without guilt by association.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Why we used this label
The reference point is the alleged FBI denial over terrorist contacts. Gelashvili challenges the certainty of that characterization rather than asserting that no denial occurred.