New York Gov. Kathy Hochul Hints at Possible Removal of Mayor Eric Adams

(TJV) Late Monday, New York Governor Kathy Hochul indicated she might take action to remove New York City Mayor Eric Adams from office.In a statement, Hochul acknowledged misconduct at City Hall were “troubling and cannot be ignored.” She plans to consult with key officials in Manhattan on Tuesday before making a final decision.

The turmoil surrounding Adams deepened on Monday when four of his top aides, including three deputy mayors, announced their resignations. Their departure follows the Justice Department’s controversial decision to drop corruption charges against the mayor, a move that has sparked backlash and internal strife within the DOJ.

Critics claim the case against Adams was abandoned after he agreed to cooperate with President Trump’s immigration policies. The Justice Department is now facing its own crisis, with multiple career prosecutors resigning in protest over the dropped charges.

Calls for Adams to resign had already been mounting among Democratic leaders in New York before the latest wave of departures. First Deputy Mayor Maria Torres-Springer, Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services Anne Williams-Isom, Deputy Mayor for Operations Meera Joshi, and Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Chauncey Parker all announced their exits on Monday.

In a joint statement, three of the officials cited “extraordinary events” as the reason for their decision, stating that stepping down was necessary to uphold their commitments to New Yorkers. Parker, in a separate statement, praised his time in the administration and expressed confidence in the city’s leadership moving forward.

This is just the latest upheaval in Adams’ administration amid a long-running federal investigation. In December, Ingrid Lewis-Martin, one of Adams’ top advisors, resigned just before she was indicted in Manhattan on bribery and conspiracy charges.

Despite the growing pressure, Adams has refused to step down. Speaking at a Baptist church over the weekend, he dismissed calls for his resignation. “The most sanctified among us are calling for me to step down,” he said. “I’m not going to step down, I’m going to step up.”

In a statement to NPR on Monday, Adams expressed disappointment over the latest resignations but reassured New Yorkers that “the city will keep moving forward, just as it does every day.”

Meanwhile, the Justice Department is grappling with internal fallout over its decision to drop the case against Adams. At least seven prosecutors in New York and Washington, D.C., have resigned in protest. Among them is Danielle Sassoon, the acting U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, who had reportedly been preparing to bring additional charges against Adams before the case was abruptly shelved. Five attorneys from the public integrity unit in Washington also resigned rather than follow orders to abandon the prosecution.

Adams, who took office in January 2020, was indicted in September 2024 on five federal charges, including bribery, fraud, and soliciting illegal foreign campaign donations. Prosecutors accused him of accepting illicit donations and luxury perks from Turkish nationals and businesses. FBI agents even seized his phone from his official residence at Gracie Mansion.

The mayor has consistently denied any wrongdoing.

This case is just one of several federal probes into Adams and his administration, which has already seen key departures, including the police commissioner and schools chancellor last year