NYC Mayor Adams' administration may be in big trouble

The comings and goings of a single city hall lawyer are typically not the sort of local political churn that merits national attention. But when attorney Lisa Zornberg announced that she was stepping down from her post as chief counsel for New York City Mayor Eric Adams this past weekend, her defection from arguably the most powerful municipal government in the country sent shockwaves that were felt well beyond the confines of the Big Apple's political bubble. Instead, Zornberg's departure has been taken as a bellwether for the future of the Adams administration at large — and with it, the man pollster Nate Silver once predicted "would be in my top 5 for 'who will be the next Democratic presidential nominee after Joe Biden?'"

Though long dogged by various allegations of corruption and legal exposure, the Adams administration has been sent reeling in recent weeks from a series of sudden resignations by key administration figures — including former Police Commissioner Edward Caban last Thursday — as well as a suite of federal investigations into a growing list of mayoral allies and associates.

Seemingly beset on all sides with multiple crises, is Eric Adams' administration in real trouble?

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What are the scandals surrounding the Adams administration?

There are "at least four agencies" currently conducting probes on and around Adams' administration, The Wall Street Journal said: The Justice Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Internal Revenue Service and the city Department of Investigation. However, it "isn't clear exactly" which crimes are being investigated by which body. One investigation "appears to be focused in part on whether the Adams 2021 campaign conspired with the Turkish government to receive illegal foreign donations" and resulted in a federal search of the "Brooklyn home of Brianna Suggs, Mr. Adams's chief fund-raiser at the time," The New York Times said.

The sudden resignation of former Police Commissioner Caban, a staunch Adams ally, stems from a separate investigation that "reportedly touches on police enforcement of nightlife facilities, and whether James Caban, his twin brother, profited from the power Edward Caban wielded over the NYPD," Crain's New York Business said. Separately, federal investigators are also looking into whether Deputy Mayor of Public Safety Phil Banks, a close Adams associate, has been "steering city contracts to companies purportedly represented by his 'consultant' brother" said the New York Post. Recently, federal agents "raided the shared home of First Deputy Mayor Sheena Wright and Schools Chancellor David Banks," Politico said.

On Monday, federal prosecutors accused two high-ranking New York Fire Department chiefs of exploiting a "City Hall practice of expediting fire inspections for favored big-money building owners, including deep-pocketed donors to Mayor Adams," The City said. The pair created a "VIP lane for faster service that could only be accessed with bribes," Manhattan U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said. "That’s classic pay-to-play corruption."

What does all this mean for Adams and the New York City government?

While Adams himself has not been charged with any wrongdoing, the latticework of investigations circling his administration has "raised questions about Mr. Adams's fitness to lead the city; his ability to negotiate with the City Council and with state and federal leaders to push his agenda; and his capacity to lure and retain talented people in city government," The New York Times said.

"The people of the city of New York are tired of this on a daily basis," Public Advocate Jumaane Williams said on Monday. "I’m not sure how you continue to govern with every day, more corrupt arrests, more corrupt suspicions."

Already, some Democratic lawmakers in New York City have begun calling for Adams to step down entirely. On Monday, City Counselor Tiffany Caban joined Assemblywoman Emily Gallagher and Senator Julia Salazar in demanding the Mayor's resignation, becoming the first member of the city council to officially call for a new mayor.

Should Adams actually face charges for campaign finance violations or bribery, "there’s at least some real degree of legal peril for the mayor," former assistant U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York Brian Blais said to CNN. And even if the scandals don't lead to criminal charges, they have nevertheless "all but guaranteed that Adams will face a robust set of Democratic primary challengers next year."