Rep. AOC calls for Mayor Adams to resign amid intensifying investigations
Sept. 25, 2024, 4:42 p.m.
Ocasio-Cortez is the most prominent New York Democrat to urge the mayor to step down so far.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York said on Wednesday that Mayor Eric Adams should resign amid intensifying federal corruption investigations — becoming the first congressmember and the most prominent Democrat to call on the mayor to step down.
Ocasio-Cortez, a progressive who has criticized Adams over budget cuts and policing, said she did not see how he could “continue governing” and that the “flood of resignations and vacancies are threatening” the function of government.
“Nonstop investigations will make it impossible to recruit and retain a qualified administration,” she said on X. “For the good of the city, he should resign.”
Ocasio-Cortez initially provided the statement to the New York Times, which first reported the news.
As Adams faces at least four separate federal investigations into his 2021 campaign fundraising and several members of his administration, his ability to lead the city has increasingly been questioned. The probes have resulted in a flurry of subpoenas and search warrants that have created a growing crisis at City Hall.
On Tuesday, Schools Chancellor David Banks became the latest top official to announce he would leave the administration. NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban and the mayor’s chief counsel Lisa Zornberg both abruptly stepped down earlier this month. And Ashwin Vasan, the city’s health commissioner, said on Monday that he planned to resign by early next year.
Ocasio-Cortez, who represents parts of Queens and the Bronx, joins a small group of left-leaning elected officials who have recently called for Adams' resignation. They include City Councilmember Tiffany Cabán and state Sen. Gustavo Rivera.
In a perhaps more worrying sign for the mayor, state Sen. John Liu on Tuesday issued a statement critical of Adams after news broke that Banks planned to retire at the end of the year.
Liu, a mainstream Democrat who endorsed Adams during the general election in 2021, said the schools chancellor’s resignation came at the “worst possible time.” He added that the “sudden and unexpected announcement raises questions about the continued viability of this mayoralty.”
“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," the mayor said in a statement. "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.”
When he was asked on Tuesday about where he saw himself in a year, the mayor replied, “I see myself again raising my right hand, being called the mayor of the City of New York.”
Update: This story has been updated with a statement from Mayor Eric Adams.
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