Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh (D) has announced her resignation amid state and federal investigations into her book deals.
Pugh, who took a leave of absence last month citing a battle with pneumonia, on Thursday apologized in a statement "for the harm I have caused" and said that Baltimore "deserves a mayor who can move our great city forward," NBC News reports.
Pugh had been embroiled in scandal following revelations of a $500,000 no-bid deal she struck to sell her self-published children's books to the University of Maryland Medical System, where she was a board member until March, The New York Times reports. The Baltimore Sun also reported that Pugh was paid more than $100,000 for her books from a health provider that was seeking a contract with the city.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) had previously called the allegations "deeply disturbing" and called on Pugh to resign.
Pugh's announcement comes after the Federal Bureau of Investigation raided City Hall and two of Pugh's houses for documents. The Washington Post notes she is the second mayor of Baltimore to resign amid a corruption probe in the past decade. Acting Mayor Bernard Young said in a statement per CNN that "although I understand that this ordeal has caused real pain for many Baltimoreans, I promise that we will emerge from it more committed than ever to building a stronger Baltimore."
-
China and Taiwan's war of words ahead of anniversary paradeUnder The Radar Neighbours both claim to have led the fighting during World War Two
-
Epstein files: Maxwell courts a pardonFeature A new prison transcript shows Ghislaine Maxwell praising Trump as 'a gentleman' while denying his involvement in the Epstein scandal
-
Pentagon readies military deployment in ChicagoFeature The Pentagon is preparing to deploy thousands of Illinois National Guard members to Chicago after Trump threatened to send troops into other major cities
-
Florida erases rainbow crosswalk at Pulse nightclubSpeed Read The colorful crosswalk was outside the former LGBTQ nightclub where 49 people were killed in a 2016 shooting
-
Trump says Smithsonian too focused on slavery's illsSpeed Read The president would prefer the museum to highlight 'success,' 'brightness' and 'the future'
-
Trump to host Kennedy Honors for Kiss, StalloneSpeed Read Actor Sylvester Stallone and the glam-rock band Kiss were among those named as this year's inductees
-
White House seeks to bend Smithsonian to Trump's viewSpeed Read The Smithsonian Institution's 21 museums are under review to ensure their content aligns with the president's interpretation of American history
-
Charlamagne Tha God irks Trump with Epstein talkSpeed Read The radio host said the Jeffrey Epstein scandal could help 'traditional conservatives' take back the Republican Party
-
CBS cancels Colbert's 'Late Show'Speed Read 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' is ending next year
-
Shakespeare not an absent spouse, study proposesspeed read A letter fragment suggests that the Shakespeares lived together all along, says scholar Matthew Steggle
-
New Mexico to investigate death of Gene Hackman, wifespeed read The Oscar-winning actor and his wife Betsy Arakawa were found dead in their home with no signs of foul play
