The Big Apple’s City Council Speaker dramatically called on Eric Adams to resign Monday – the latest high-profile pol to join the call since President Trump’s Department of Justice controversially scuttled the mayor’s corruption case.
Speaker Adrienne Adams, who is no relation to the mayor, said the mass resignation of half of the city’s deputy mayors clearly shows Hizzoner has lost the confidence and trust of his own staff.
“He now must prioritize New York City and New Yorkers, step aside and resign,” the speaker said in a statement. “This administration no longer has the ability to effectively govern with Eric Adams as mayor.”
The call is the latest in a dramatic leadership crisis that has engulfed New York City for a week as Trump’s DOJ ordered Manhattan federal prosecutors to drop the case against Adams.
The prosecutors, led by Acting US Attorney Danielle Sassoon, refused and resigned en masse, accusing Trump-aligned officials and Adams’ defense attorneys of engaging in a “quid pro quo.”
Adams, under the reputed deal, would acquiesce to Trump’s hardline immigration plans to get his case dropped, Sassoon alleged in a scathing resignation letter.
The accusation – which a Trump DOJ official and Adams’ attorney Alex Spiro denied — added fuel to critics’ suspicions that the mayor is effectively Trump’s hostage, beholden to the president rather than New Yorkers.
Over the weekend, rumors rippled through City Hall that many of Adams’ top aides would resign.
Those came to fruition Monday, and apparently led in part to Adrienne Adams’ dramatic statement.
“These resignations are the culmination of the mayor’s actions and decisions that have led to months of instability and now compromise the City’s sovereignty, threaten chaos, and risk harm to our familie,” she said.
“There is too much at stake for our city and New Yorkers to allow this to continue. We have endured enough scandal, selfishness and embarrassment, all of which distract from the leadership that New Yorkers deserve. This is the opposite of public service. Our city needs a leader totally committed to protecting New Yorkers and improving their lives.”
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
