UNITED STATES NEWS

Top legal adviser to New York City mayor quits as investigations swell

Sep 15, 2024, 8:52 AM

FILE — Lisa Zornberg, New York City Hall's chief counsel, speaks during a mayoral news conference...

FILE — Lisa Zornberg, New York City Hall's chief counsel, speaks during a mayoral news conference at City Hall, in New York, Nov. 14, 2023. (AP Photo/Richard Drew, File)
Credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS

(AP Photo/Richard Drew, File)

NEW YORK (AP) — The top legal adviser to New York City Mayor Eric Adams resigned abruptly over the weekend, the latest sign of instability in the Democrat’s administration as it deals with multiple federal investigations.

City Hall announced Lisa Zornberg’s departure late Saturday night. She had advised Adams and other city officials on legal strategy for over a year and often parried legal questions from the press on his behalf. She was not his personal lawyer.

“It has been a great honor to serve the City. I am tendering my resignation, effective today, as I have concluded that I can no longer effectively serve in my position. I wish you nothing but the best,” Zornberg wrote in a three-sentence resignation letter to Adams.

The resignation comes after the phones of multiple members of Mayor Eric Adams’ inner circle were seized by federal investigators, including the head of New York City’s police department, who resigned Thursday.

Zornberg, a former federal prosecutor in the U.S. attorney’s office now leading some of the investigations into the Adams administration, wasn’t one of the officials who had their phones seized.

The police commissioner, Edward Caban resigned citing the “distraction” created by news of the the investigations.

Federal authorities haven’t disclosed the subjects of the investigations. Besides the police commissioner, phones were taken from the head of the public schools system, a top deputy mayor, and two top advisers to Adams on public safety issues.

Investigators seized devices from Caban’s twin brother, James Caban, a former NYPD sergeant who runs a nightclub security business. They also conducted searches related to Terence Banks, who is the brother of Adams’ top deputy on public safety, Phil Banks, and Education Chancellor David Banks.

In separate investigations, federal authorities have previously seized phones from Adams, searched the home of one of his top campaign fundraisers, and searched two homes linked to his director of Asian affairs.

Adams has denied any knowledge of wrongdoing.

Adams said an interim replacement for Zornberg would be announced in the coming days.

“We appreciate all the work Lisa has done for our administration and, more importantly, the city over the past 13 months,” Adams said in a statement. “These are hard jobs and we don’t expect anyone to stay in them forever. We wish Lisa all the best in her future endeavors.”

United States News

Valentine's Day roses are unwrapped after being inspected by U.S. Customs and Border Protection agr...

Associated Press

Roses are red, violets are blue, 940 million flowers are traveling (through Miami) to you

MIAMI (AP) — If any husbands or boyfriends mess up Valentine’s Day this week, it’s not because of a shortage of flowers. In the run up to Feb. 14, agricultural specialists at Miami International Airport have processed about 940 million stems of cut flowers, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Around 90% of the […]

6 hours ago

Maryland Department of Transportation employees use a backhoe to load a truck with salt at the Stat...

Associated Press

Virginia governor declares storm emergency as snow and ice bear down on mid-Atlantic states

A wintry mess was bearing down on mid-Atlantic states Tuesday with forecasts of significant snow and ice accumulations prompting warnings of potential power outages. The National Weather Service said travel would become treacherous Tuesday through early Wednesday in much of Virginia and West Virginia. Virginia Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin on Monday declared a state of […]

6 hours ago

FILE - Author Salman Rushdie poses for a portrait to promote his book "Knife: Meditations After an ...

Associated Press

Testimony in trial of man accused of trying to kill Salman Rushdie heads into 2nd day

Testimony is set to continue Tuesday in the trial of the man charged with stabbing famed author Salman Rushdie in a frenzied knife attack on a western New York stage. Jurors in the trial of Hadi Matar, 27, on Monday heard from staffers at the arts institution where Rushdie was set to give a speech […]

7 hours ago

FILE - Elon Musk speaks as part of a campaign town hall in support of Republican presidential nomin...

Associated Press

How Elon Musk’s crusade against government could benefit Tesla

WASHINGTON (AP) — Elon Musk has long railed against the U.S. government, saying a crushing number of federal investigations and safety programs have stymied Tesla, his electric car company, and its efforts to create fleets of robotaxis and other self-driving automobiles. Now, Musk’s close relationship with President Donald Trump means many of those federal headaches […]

7 hours ago

FILE - Linda McMahon speaks during an America First Policy Institute gala at his Mar-a-Lago estate,...

Associated Press

Trump’s education chief comes from the boardroom, not the classroom. Backers say that’s her strength

WASHINGTON (AP) — Linda McMahon once described herself as an outsider stepping into the world of education, a business leader with an “inquiring mind” who would challenge the status quo and demand more for students. That was 15 years ago, when McMahon was beginning a stint on the Connecticut Board of Education. But her backers […]

7 hours ago

Students interact in a fourth grade classroom at William Jefferson Clinton Elementary in Compton, C...

Associated Press

America’s kids are still behind in reading and math. These schools are defying the trend

COMPTON, Calif. (AP) — Math is the subject sixth grader Harmoni Knight finds hardest, but that’s changing. In-class tutors and “data chats” at her middle school in Compton, California, have made a dramatic difference, the 11-year-old said. She proudly pulled up a performance tracker at a tutoring session last week, displaying a column of perfect […]

7 hours ago

Sponsored Articles

...

Bright Wealth Management

How to start your retirement planning early and avoid costly mistakes

Retirement planning can feel overwhelming, but with the right guidance, you can avoid costly pitfalls.

...

Fiesta Bowl Foundation

Join us for the 52nd annual Vrbo Fiesta Bowl Parade

The 52nd annual Vrbo Fiesta Bowl Parade presented by Lerner & Rowe returns on Saturday, December 28, at 10 a.m.

...

The UPS Store

How The UPS Store is giving back to the community

PHOENIX -- As 2024 nears a close, The UPS Store is looking to give back to the Arizona community with the holiday season approaching.

Top legal adviser to New York City mayor quits as investigations swell