Four top officials in Mayor Eric Adams’ office resigning after Trump administration drops criminal charges against him

Four top New York City officials are resigning from Mayor Eric Adams’ administration after Adams apparently worked out a deal with President Donald Trump’s Justice Department to have the criminal fraud charges against him dropped.

“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, we have come to the difficult decision to step down from our roles,” the four deputy mayors wrote in a statement obtained by The New York Times which was provided by First Deputy Maria Torres-Springer, who holds the second-highest role in city government.

The deputy mayors were concerned that they’re not only working for an indicted mayor, but for a politician whose personal interests threaten to overshadow the interests of New Yorkers, a source told the newspaper.

The officials – who also included Meera Joshi, the deputy mayor of operations, Anne Williams-Isom, the deputy mayor of health and human services, and Chauncey Parker, the deputy mayor for public safety – are expected to resign in the coming days, according to the Times.

The resignations mean that half of New York City’s eight deputy mayors are leaving. It’s unclear who will replace them.

Amid growing calls for Adams to resign, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul announced late Monday she will convene city leaders on Tuesday to discuss “the path forward.” She has the power to remove Adams from office.

If the deputy mayors “feel unable to serve in City Hall at this time, that raises serious questions about the long-term future of this Mayoral administration,” Hochul said in a statement.

“The alleged conduct at City Hall that has been reported over the past two weeks is troubling and cannot be ignored,” she noted.

The Democratic mayor began to cozy up to Trump after he was indicted last September on five counts related to bribery, and was recently seen socializing with the president at Mar-a-Lago.

The mayor suddenly praised Trump’s immigration agenda and echoed the president’s claims that criminal cases brought by the Justice Department under the Biden administration were politically motivated. He skipped out on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day events in New York City to attend the president’s inauguration in Washington, D.C.

Things came to a head last week after a top Department of Justice official asked the Manhattan federal court to drop the charges against Adams.

Danielle Sassoon, the Republican Trump-appointed acting head of the Southern District of New York (SDNY), refused to comply and resigned.

In an explosive letter to the U.S. Attorney General, Sassoon alleged that Adams’ attorney attempted to engage in “what amounted to a quid pro quo” at a meeting she witnessed with Justice Department officials to have the charges dropped in exchange for the mayor’s support for the president’s immigration crackdown.

Adams denied the allegations on Fox News while seated next to Trump’s border “czar” Tom Homan.

The dropped charges kicked off a string of resignations in the SDNY, as well as in the Public Integrity Section of the DOJ as multiple federal prosecutors refused to support dismissing the indictment, believing it was not in good faith.

In his resignation letter, the federal prosecutor leading the case against Adams said only a “fool” or “coward” would sign off on the motion.

Monday’s decision by the four deputies is the latest blow to Adams’ administration, which has faced extreme turbulence over the last year as multiple officials faced investigations, and Adams was indicted.

“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,” Adams said in a statement about his deputy mayors Monday.

“But let me be crystal clear: New York City will keep moving forward, just as it does every day,” he said. “All deputy mayors will remain in their roles for the time being to ensure a seamless transition. The people of New York City remain, without question, our top priority.”

The Independent has asked Adams’s office for comment.