New York City mayor’s top legal adviser resigns as investigations mount

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

The City Council announced Lisa Zornberg’s departure late Saturday night. She had advised Adams and other city officials on legal strategy for more than a year and often dodged legal questions from the press on his behalf. She was not his personal attorney.

“It has been a great honor to serve the City. I am submitting my resignation, effective today, as I have concluded that I can no longer effectively perform in my position. I wish you the best,” Zornberg wrote in a three-sentence resignation letter addressed to Adams.

The resignation comes after the phones of several members of Mayor Eric Adams’ inner circle were… seized by federal investigatorsincluding the head of the New York City Police Department, who resigned on Thursday.

Zornberg, a former federal prosecutor in the U.S. attorney’s office who is now leading some of the investigations into the Adams administration, was not one of the officials whose phones were seized.

Police Commissioner Edward Caban resigned, citing the “distraction” created by news of the investigations.

Federal authorities have not disclosed who the subjects of the investigation are. In addition to the police commissioner, the phones of the head of the public school system, a senior deputy mayor and two senior public safety advisers to Adams were seized.

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 Bankswho is the brother of Adams’ top deputy for public safety, Phil Banks, and Education Chancellor David Banks.

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

Adams has denied any knowledge of wrongdoing.

Adams said an interim replacement for Zornberg will 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 difficult jobs and we don’t expect anyone to stay in them forever. We wish Lisa all the best in her future endeavors.”