A New York congresswoman known for left-wing opposition to her fellow Democrats is calling on Big Apple Mayor Eric Adams to resign after a series of raids on his top aides and others in his inner circle in connection with a federal investigation.
“I do not see how Mayor Adams can continue governing New York City,” Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez wrote on X.
Ocasio-Cortez’s district includes parts of two New York City boroughs. The tweet marked the first time she took a swing at her hometown mayor on the platform in more than a year. In April 2023, she indirectly criticized his support for a new contract for city police.
“The flood of resignations and vacancies are threatening gov function,” she wrote. “Nonstop investigations will make it impossible to recruit and retain a qualified administration.”
STAFFER FOR NYC MAYOR FIRED AMID EXTORTION REPORTS AFTER NYPD COMMISSIONER RESIGNS
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., speaks during the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. (Jacek Boczarski/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Adams issued a blistering response to the socialist congresswoman, slamming her as a fraud in a statement to Fox News Digital.
“For anyone who self-righteously claims people charged with serious crimes should not be in jail to now say that the second Black mayor of New York should resign because of rumors and innuendo — without even a single charge being filed — is the height of hypocrisy,” Adams said. “I am leading this city to protect it from exactly that kind of phony politics. The people of this city elected me to fight for them, and I will stay and fight no matter what.”
Earlier this month, New York City Police Commissioner Edward Caban became the latest Adams ally to resign. Separately, an Adams staffer was fired following accusations that he tried to extort money from a Brooklyn car owner with help from Caban’s twin brother.
In a statement, Caban’s attorneys Russell Capone and Rebekah Donaleski told Fox News Digital that the former commissioner would cooperate with investigators and that he is not the target of the federal probe himself.
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New York City Mayor Eric Adams attends a press conference on gun violence on June 26, 2023, in New York City. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
Rumors of a pending resignation have swirled for days following raids on Caban and his twin brother, a safety consultant. James Caban is facing an investigation for allegedly leveraging his NYPD connections to protect nightclubs from police scrutiny.
Federal agents served warrants on three other high-ranking Adams aides on the same day as the Cabans — First Deputy Mayor Sheena Wright, Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Philip Banks III and Timothy Pearson, a former NYPD official turned mayoral adviser.
Last year, federal agents seized Adams’ devices as he was leaving an event in Manhattan and raided the home of one of his top fundraisers. Adams has denied any wrongdoing, but confirmed last month he had received a subpoena from federal prosecutors and said he and his team are cooperating.
New York Mayor Eric Adams, flanked by his Deputy Mayor Sheena Wright, left, and Ingrid Lewis-Martin, speaks during his weekly press conference at City Hall. (Luiz C. Ribeiro/New York Daily News/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
“For the good of the city, he should resign,” Ocasio-Cortez added Wednesday.
Winnie Greco, another Adams aide, was also raided in connection with a campaign fundraising investigation.
New York Mayor Eric Adams and Police Commissioner Edward Caban attend a news conference at 1 Police Plaza in New York City on April 3. (Reuters/Brendan McDermid)
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Adams appointed Caban as the NYPD’s first Hispanic commissioner in July 2023.
He has been replaced by Interim Commissioner Tom Donlon, a retired FBI agent who previously led the National Threat Center and oversaw the Terrorism Watch List.
Fox News’ Michael Dorgan and CB Cotton contributed to this report.
