4 top aides to NYC Mayor Eric Adams resign after Department of Justice moves to dismiss his case
NEW YORK -- Four top deputies of New York Mayor Eric Adams resigned Monday after the now-former U.S. Attorney in Manhattan accused the mayor and the Justice Department of negotiating a quid pro quo.
The move has prompted protests on Monday and various New York City leaders, including the City Council speaker, to call on Adams to step down.
First Deputy Mayor Maria Torres-Springer, Deputy Mayor for Operations Meera Joshi, Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services Anne Williams-Isom and Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Chauncey Parker submitted their resignations.
The mayor spoke with all four on Sunday to discourage them from leaving or delay their decision.
The four deputy mayors were hired to stabilize city government after earlier high-profile departures of individuals in Adams' inner circle who themselves were investigated by state and federal prosecutors.
ALSO WATCH | 'How can the city function?' Fallout from deputy mayor resignations
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said in a statement on Monday night that she will hold a meeting on Tuesday with "key leaders" ... "for a conversation about the path forward, with the goal of ensuring stability for the City of New York."
"Overturning the will of the voters is a serious step that should not be taken lightly," Hochul said regarding her constitutional ability to remove Adams from office.
Last week, the Justice Department instructed federal prosecutors in the Southern District of New York to drop the bribery case against Adams.
Former U.S. Attorney Danielle Sassoon said the Justice Department agreed to drop the charges against Adams in exchange for the mayor's cooperation with President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown. She and six other federal prosecutors resigned in protest last week.
The deputy mayors stepping down will stay in their roles for an unknown period of time to ensure a smooth transition of their duties.
In a joint statement Monday from Torres-Springer, Williams-Isom and Joshi, the three deputies said they were stepping down "due to the extraordinary events of the last few weeks and to stay faithful to the oaths we swore to New Yorkers and our families."
"While our time in this administration will come to a close, our support for the incredible public servants across the administration with whom we have stood shoulder to shoulder and our championing of this great city and all it stands for will never cease," the statement said. "We sincerely thank the mayor for giving us the opportunity to serve New Yorkers in these roles, stand ready to ensure a smooth transition of our duties, and wish Mayor Adams and all of our colleagues much strength and courage in the work ahead."
In a separate statement, Parker called serving in the administration the "honor of a lifetime."
"Together, we have made our streets safer, more just, and have improved quality of life for all New Yorkers," Parker said. "I am confident that the administration will continue on our mission to deliver for the people of this city."
Adams issued his own statement.
"I am disappointed to see them go, but given the current challenges, I understand their decision and wish them nothing but success in the future," said Adams, who faces several challengers in June's Democratic primary. "But let me be crystal clear: New York City will keep moving forward, just as it does every day."
City leaders speak out as dueling protests take place in New York City
The deputy mayors' departure from the administration comes as Adams vows to stay in office despite a second day of protests on Monday calling for him to resign or for Gov. Kathy Hochul to remove him.
City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams became the latest Democrat to call on the mayor to resign, saying that with the deputy mayor resignations it's clear he "has now lost the confidence and trust of his own staff, his colleagues in government, and New Yorkers."
Speaker Adams is not related to the mayor.
Comptroller Brad Lander, who is running for mayor himself, has demanded a contingency plan from the mayor in the wake of his top aides stepping down, and says that if Adams can't, he will "seek to convene a meeting of the Inability Committee."
On Saturday, Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins told another media outlet, "it's probably time that he move aside." In Albany for a meeting this weekend, City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams was encouraged to run.
House Minority Leader Rep. Hakeem Jeffries has not called for the mayor to step down but said he has to answer to the community.
Adams, a former police captain, pleaded not guilty last September to charges that he accepted more than $100,000 in illegal campaign contributions and lavish travel perks from foreign nationals looking to buy his influence while he was Brooklyn borough president campaigning to be mayor.
The Justice Department said in its filing Friday that it was seeking to dismiss Adams' charges with the option of refiling them later, which critics see as a carrot to ensure his compliance on the Republican president's objectives. In his memo ordering prosecutors to ditch the case, Bove said the new, permanent U.S. attorney would review the matter after the November election.
"It certainly sounds like President Trump is holding the mayor hostage," Rev. Al Sharpton, an Adams ally, said Tuesday. "I have supported the mayor, but he has been put in an unfair position - even for him - of essentially political blackmail."
Political leaders, including Democratic Reps. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez and Nydia Velázquez, and Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado, have called on Adams to step down. But Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul has said she's taking a more deliberative approach.
"The allegations are extremely concerning and serious, but I cannot as the governor of this state have a knee-jerk, politically motivated reaction like a lot of other people are saying right now," she said on Thursday. "I've got to do it smart, what's right and I'm consulting with other leaders in government right now."
Also on Monday, New York City saw dueling protests -- those favoring the mayor showed up in force in Brooklyn while those calling on him to step down voiced their message in front of City Hall.
Despite the resignations of four top aides, Adams was all smiles in Brooklyn as he surrounded himself with support. He received prayers and pats on the shoulder from clergy members who told him to keep up the fight.
It was a far cry from City Hall where protesters blasted the mayor, saying it's clear that he is being spared from prosecution and potential prison time by an administration eager to use ICE to deport undocumented immigrants from a sanctuary city.
Meanwhile, Adams invoked "Mein Kampf" to push back at one of his biggest critics, Public Advocate Jumaane Williams.
"If you tell a lie long enough, loud enough, people will believe it's true. And that is what you are seeing right now - a modern-day mein kampf," Adams said. "Let's put this down in the proper analysis. One of the largest voices out there is calling for me to step down is the public advocate. I still don't know what he does because it's hard to really serve the city when you wake up at noon and then try to go out. If I step down, then the public advocate becomes the mayor. Can you imagine turning the city over to him? That is the top reason not to step down."
Scott Stringer, who is running for mayor, called Adams' remarks "nonsensical, unacceptable, and offensive."
"The mayor of the city with the largest Jewish population should not be comparing the situation that his own unethical conduct put him into anything to do with Hitler or the Holocaust," Stringer wrote on X.
(ABC News and the Associated Press contributed to this report.)
