Mayor Eric Adams faces growing calls to resign amid federal probes
NEW YORK - New York City Mayor Eric Adams is now facing more calls to step down.
"The Mayor has to resign," City Councilwoman Tiffany Caban said.
Councilwoman Caban is now the first city council member to call on Adams to resign following the numerous federal investigations swirling around Adams and his team.
The Mayor has not been charged in connection with any of these federal inquiries, but Caban says that there are patterns to what she called his mismanagement of city government.
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"It’s not just that more than 15 of his associates are being investigated," Caban said. "It's also a culmination of his other failures of leadership."
State Senator Julia Salazar and State Assemblywoman Emily Gallagher are also calling on the mayor to step down over the weekend, saying it's time to restore trust in city government.
"Eric Adams is failing at his job," Assemblywoman Gallagher said. "His administration is rampant with serious scandal, and that's a sign of poor management."
There are believed to be at least 4 federal investigations targeting the mayor and his top aides.
This includes the investigation that prompted the former NYPD police commissioner Edward Caban to resign last week. Federal investigators are reportedly looking into whether Caban’s twin brother sold police protection to nightlife businesses. Several NYPD executives and a top Adams’ aide, Tim Pearson, have also been caught up in that investigation and had to turn over their phones to the FBI.
Additionally, federal prosecutors are also reportedly investigating the three Banks brothers. Deputy Mayor of Public Safety Phil Banks, the Schools Chancellor David Banks and their brother, former MTA official Terence Banks.
Reportedly, investigators are looking into whether David Banks and Phil Banks helped steer city contracts to their brother Terence Banks’ consulting firm and if Terence Banks was working as an unregistered lobbyist.
Deputy Mayor Sheena Wright, who is the fiancé of David Banks, also had her phones seized as part of this investigation, although it’s unclear if investigators are targeting her as well.
Separately, federal investigators are also reportedly looking into whether Adams and his campaign received illegal donations from the federal government. Adams had his phones taken by the FBI as part of that probe and his top campaign fundraiser had her home raided.
And lastly, federal agents in February raided the home of another of Adams’ top aides, Winnie Greco. Investigators are reportedly looking for emails and records from trips Adams made to China during his time as Brooklyn Borough President.
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In a stunning move over the weekend, Adams’ chief legal advisor Lisa Zornberg abruptly quit and in her very short letter to the mayor she said quote "I have concluded that I can no longer effectively serve in my position."
According to numerous outlets, Zornberg quit over frustration that the mayor would not fire some of his aides that are caught up in these federal investigations.
"She has been a great advisor, many things she advises me on," Adams said Monday about Zornberg. "I'm not going to go into a private conversation."
If the mayor were to resign – which he has insisted he would not – Public Advocate Jumaane Williams would step in as temporary mayor.
Williams says that is not something he is focused on, but called the growing number of investigations around Adams "exhausting."
"I don't think any of us in our lifetime, or our parent’s lifetime, has seen anything like this," Williams said. "It's shocking, it's stunning. And I don't think we're getting the appropriate response for how heavy this actually is."
In a news report last week it was discovered that an Adams’ aide, Ray Martin, allegedly told bar owners to pay the former police commissioner’s twin brother to make their NYPD troubles go away.
After this report came out, Martin was fired and today Adams says they have reported it to the department of investigation which is reviewing the matter.
When Fox 5 News reached out to DOI for confirmation, they said "no comment."
"Editor’s note: A previous version of this report incorrectly stated that New York State Senator Jessica Ramos called for Adams to resign. According to New York Times reporting, "[Ramos] stopped short of calling for the mayor’s resignation, but said she believed that several high-ranking city officials would be indicted."