Gov. Hochul considering removing embattled NYC mayor

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul on Monday said she was weighing whether to remove New York City Mayor Eric Adams from his post. If she exercises that authority, the move would be a historic first for the governor’s office, she said. She summoned key leaders to meet at her Manhattan office to discuss the path forward for the city’s leadership.

Hochul’s statement came hours after four high-ranking staffers resigned from Adams’ office. Those staffers included First Deputy Mayor Maria Torres-Springer and Deputy Mayors Meera Joshi, Chauncey Parker, and Anne Williams-Isom. The fact that the four did not believe they could continue working for Adams meant serious consideration should be given to the mayor’s removal, Hochul said.

Didn’t the Department of Justice drop its charges against Adams? Last week, the U.S. Department of Justice pushed local federal prosecutors to drop criminal corruption charges against Adams. The DOJ said the charges could only be dropped if Adams agreed to let the department resurrect the charges at a later date after he was finished running for reelection. Interim U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Danielle Sassoon resigned rather than drop the charges, but the DOJ dropped the charges the next day anyway. Several other U.S. attorneys reportedly have resigned over the incident so far.